An Oregon law that went into effect in 2020 halted the practice of automatically suspending driver’s licenses for people who failed to pay traffic fines on time. One town is taking that a step further. Phoenix, Oregon is clearing all debt owed to its now-shuttered municipal court from 2010 or earlier.
The Oregon Law Center is applauding this move and hopes more local governments will follow Phoenix’s example. The nonprofit also has a pending case before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals challenging the practice of suspending driver’s licenses for failure to pay traffic debt.
We hear from Kelsey Heilman, a staff attorney with the Oregon Law Center’s Portland regional office and Tracy Chavez, a grandmother with court debt living in Bend.
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