Michigan Secretary Of State Driver Responsibility Fees

To pay a Driver Responsibility Fee to the State of Michigan are the Michigan Secretary of State changed another Driver Responsibility Fee.

michigan secretary of state driver responsibility fees

Make a Payment

Former Rep. Joe Haveman R-Holland, left, and Kentwood District Court Judge William Kelly celebrated the implementation of the first step to phase out the Driver Responsibility Fee at Kentwood District Court on Oct. 1.

KENTWOOD, MI – Getting a ticket in Michigan became a little less painful this week as the first phase of a three-year plan to eliminate the universally despised but highly profitable driver responsibility fee went into effect this week.

The punishment is assessed to those convicted of reckless driving, drunken driving or driving without a valid license and often socks drivers twice annually. Passed by the state legislature during an economic recession in 2003, the 500 to 1,000 fines generated about 100 million for the state treasury.

Those who fail to pay and are caught driving again can have those fees charged again and again and their license can be taken away for failing to pay.

Kentwood District Court Judge William Kelly said he has seen drivers with more than 10,000 in debt who will never be able to pay it off in large part because they have no reliable transportation in order to keep a job.

Over the decade the law was in effect, there was no more vocal opponent to the law on the Michigan bench.

Related: West Michigan judge hailed for his part in killing the multimillion-dollar driver responsibility fee

Kelly worked with legislators, most notably former State Rep. Joe Haveman, R-Holland, for years to get the law repealed.

Last year, Gov. Rick Snyder signed the law that went into effect Thursday, Oct. 1.

That means people who are hit with the fee today will still have to pay 1,000 this year, but next year s payment will be 500.

In 2016, the first year will be 1,000 but there will be no second year payment. In 2017, there will only be one 500 payment and the fee disappears completely by 2018. Haveman and Kelly got together Thursday at the Kentwood District Court to celebrate.

Kelly appeared before a state House committee in May 2014 and told legislators about the human toll he has seen the fee take on people who are guilty of fairly minor offenses.

The driver responsibility fee is a tax on the poorest people in our state, Kelly told lawmakers. It s a second punishment for the same crime -- double jeopardy. It s costly for locals to collect and has no connection to driver safety.

However, the fee added 99 million to 115 million in annual revenue for the state treasury, even though an estimated 600 million in fees have gone delinquent or unpaid since the fee was first enacted.

Despite doubt that legislators would enact that kind of revenue reduction, Haveman introduced the bill that passed the House and Senate unanimously and Public Act 250 was signed into law. Haveman was forced out of office last year because of term limits.

E-mail Barton Deiters: bdeiters mlive.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/GRPBarton or Facebook at facebook.com/bartondeiters.5.

Michigan s Driver Responsibility Fees, assessed for traffic violations committed in the state, essentially penalized drivers twice for the same offense, and.

Michigan s driver responsibility fees DRF started when the legislature amended Michigan s drunk driving laws so as to bring Michigan into compliance with the.

MICHIGAN SECRETARY OF STATE DRIVER RESPONSIBILITY FEES. Michigan Secretary of State Driver Responsibility Fees are fines that are assessed by the State.