Nov. 27--Driving without a valid license could result in a vehicle being impounded under a Republican proposal aimed at reducing drunken driving, but which critics say will disproportionately harm poor people.
Rep. Joe Sanfelippo, R-West Allis, circulated a bill Tuesday that would require a police officer making an arrest or issuing a citation for driving without a license or with a revoked or suspended license, to immediately impound the vehicle. The bill includes an exception for motorists whose licenses expired within the previous six months and haven't previously been cited for driving without a license.
Under the bill, a court could extend the length of time a vehicle is impounded after which the driver would have to pay any fines and impoundment fees. If the vehicle isn't claimed within 30 days of the release date, it could be disposed of or sold. The vehicle would be released immediately to its owner if the driver didn't own the vehicle, or if the driver is found not guilty of the offense.
The bill also would require all motorists to provide a copy of their driver's license when registering their vehicle for the first time with the Department of Transportation.
In a letter to fellow lawmakers, Sanfelippo framed the bill as one that would address drunken driving, saying it "would help keep dangerous and irresponsible motorists off the road."
"This bill would help keep dangerous and irresponsible motorists off the road by requiring the impoundment of most vehicles involved in offenses of operating without a license, operating while suspended or operating after revocation," SanFelippo told lawmakers.
"There have been numerous occasions where residents have had their licenses either suspended or revoked but continued to drive illegally. We've especially seen it too many times with drivers repeatedly convicted of operating a vehicle under the influence or without proper liability insurance."
Molly Gena, a lawyer with Legal Action of Wisconsin, which represents low-income clients, said the majority of Wisconsin's driver's license suspensions and revocations result from the inability to pay fines, rather than bad driving. As a result, the bill will "punish poor people and prevent them from getting to work or finding employment."
"Impounding their vehicles will make it even harder for them to get out of poverty," Gena said. "It will perpetuate the cycle of poverty and unfairly punish people solely for being poor."
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