Should Texas kill the controversial driver responsibility program?
Some Texas lawmakers say it’s time to throw out the state program created more than a decade ago to make Texans better drivers and use the fines they pay to help trauma centers across the state.
State Sen. Bob Hall, R-Edgewood, said the Driver Responsibility Act — created in 2003 to generate more funding for the state in the face of a budget shortfall — is creating serious financial hardships for some Texans.
Already, 1.2 million Texas drivers have been forced off the roads after losing their licenses, or are driving illegally, because they can’t pay multi-year surcharges and related fees.
“We all know the system is inefficient and counterproductive,” Hall told the Senate Transportation Committee in Austin Wednesday. “We have failed to end it because it is a funding source for trauma care. Doing the wrong thing even for the right reasons is still wrong.
Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article142887289.html
