January 16, 2012 - 4:42 pm
BY JIM NOLAN
A bill that would double the amount of time people have to pay court-ordered fines, costs, forfeitures and penalties for criminal violations unanimously passed the Senate Courts of Justice Committee Monday.
Senate Bill 116, sponsored by Sen. Ryan T. McDougle, R-Hanover, would increase the payment period from 15 days to 30 days before additional penalties or driver’s license suspension would take place.
McDougle said he put in the bill after hearing from court clerks who deal with violators who are willing to pay the fines but only get paid once a month. Delinquency in paying under the current timetable, he said, has created a lot of additional work for the courts, when the situation could otherwise be resolved if violators had the benefit of a paycheck within the time period.
The law doesn’t change the amount of fines, or the penalties imposed if a violator is delinquent in paying. But because of the potential financial impact, the bill was referred to the Finance Committee for review.
