Poverty Penalties and Poverty Traps

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State Statute Description/Statute Name Statutory language Type of poverty penalty or poverty trap Level of offense Mandatory
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Alaska Alaska Stat. Ann. § 28.15.181(g) Court Suspensions, Revocations, and Limitations

The court may suspend the driver's license, privilege to drive, or privilege to obtain a license of a person who fails to appear in court as required by a citation

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for an offense involving a moving motor vehicle, or who fails to pay a fine as required by the court for an offense involving a moving motor vehicle. If the court suspends a driver's license under this subsection, the court shall also provide notice of the suspension to the department.  A suspension imposed under this subsection remains in effect until the person appears in court as required by the citation, or pays the fine as required by the court. When the person appears in court or pays the required fine, the court shall terminate the suspension imposed under this subsection and provide the department and the person with written notice of the termination.

Driver's license suspension/impoundment Traffic No
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Alaska Alaska Stat. Ann. § 28.01.015(a)(5) Municipal Impoundment and Forfeiture

(a) Notwithstanding other provisions in this title, a municipality may adopt an ordinance providing for the impoundment or forfeiture of a:

(5) motor vehicle used by a person who has $1,000

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or more in delinquent traffic fines for moving violations committed within the municipality.

Driver's license suspension/impoundment Traffic No
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Alaska Alaska Stat. § 28.20.270 Suspension for Nonpayment of Judgments

Upon receipt of a certified copy of a judgment and a certificate of facts relative to the judgment, the department shall immediately suspend the license or nonresident’s operating privilege of

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a person against whom the judgment is given except as otherwise provided in this chapter.

Driver's license suspension/impoundment Traffic Yes
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Alaska Alaska Stat. § 28.20.370 Installment Payment of Judgments; Default

(a) A judgment debtor upon due notice to the judgment creditor may apply to the court in which such judgment was rendered for the privilege of paying the judgment in installments

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and the court, without prejudice at any other legal remedy, may order and fix the amount and time of payment of the installments;  (b) The department may not suspend a license or nonresident’s operating privilege, and shall restore a license or nonresident’s operating privilege suspended following nonpayment of a judgment, when the judgment debtor gives proof of financial responsibility and obtains an order permitting the payment of the judgment in installments;  (c) If the judgment debtor fails to pay an installment specified by the court order, upon notice of default, the department shall immediately suspend the license or nonresident’s operating privilege of the judgment debtor until the judgment is satisfied as provided in this chapter.

Driver's license suspension/impoundment Traffic No
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Florida Fla. Stat. §984.09(4)(d) Punishment for contempt of court; alternative sanctions

In addition to any other sanction imposed under this section, the court may direct the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to withhold issuance of, or suspend, a child's

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driver license or driving privilege. The court may order that a child's driver license or driving privilege be withheld or suspended for up to 1 year for a first offense of contempt and up to 2 years for a second or subsequent offense. If the child's driver license or driving privilege is suspended or revoked for any reason at the time the sanction for contempt is imposed, the court shall extend the period of suspension or revocation by the additional period ordered under this paragraph. If the child's driver license is being withheld at the time the sanction for contempt is imposed, the period of suspension or revocation ordered under this paragraph shall begin on the date on which the child is otherwise eligible to drive. For a child in need of services whose driver license or driving privilege is suspended under this paragraph, the court may direct the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to issue the child a license for driving privileges restricted to business or employment purposes only, as defined in s. 322.271, or for the purpose of completing court-ordered community service, if the child is otherwise qualified for a license. However, the department may not issue a restricted license unless specifically ordered to do so by the court.

Driver's license suspension/impoundment All No
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Florida Fla. Stat. Ann. § 322.245(1) Suspension of license upon failure of person charged with specified offense

(1) If a person charged with a violation of any of the criminal offenses enumerated in s. 318.17 or with the commission of any offense constituting a misdemeanor under chapter

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320 or this chapter fails to comply with all of the directives of the court within the time allotted by the court, the clerk of the traffic court shall mail to the person, at the address specified on the uniform traffic citation, a notice of such failure, notifying him or her that, if he or she does not comply with the directives of the court within 30 days after the date of the notice and pay a delinquency fee of up to $25 to the clerk, from which the clerk shall remit $10 to the Department of Revenue for deposit into the General Revenue Fund, his or her driver license will be suspended. The notice shall be mailed no later than 5 days after such failure. The delinquency fee may be retained by the office of the clerk to defray the operating costs of the office.

Driver's license suspension/impoundment All Yes
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Florida Fla. Stat. §322.245(2) Suspension of license upon failure of person charged with specified offense

(2) In non-IV-D cases, if a person fails to pay child support under chapter 61 and the obligee so requests, the depository or the clerk of the court shall mail in

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accordance with s. 61.13016 the notice specified in that section, notifying him or her that if he or she does not comply with the requirements of that section and pay a delinquency fee of $25 to the depository or the clerk, his or her driver license and motor vehicle registration will be suspended. The delinquency fee may be retained by the depository or the office of the clerk to defray the operating costs of the office after the clerk remits $15 to the Department of Revenue for deposit into the General Revenue Fund.

Driver's license suspension/impoundment All Yes
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Florida Fla. Stat. §322.245(5)(a) Suspension of license upon failure of person charged with specified offense

When the department receives notice from a clerk of the court that a person licensed to operate a motor vehicle in this state under the provisions of this chapter has

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failed to pay financial obligations for any criminal offense other than those specified in subsection (1), in full or in part under a payment plan pursuant to s. 28.246(4), the department shall suspend the license of the person named in the notice.

Driver's license suspension/impoundment All Yes
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Missouri Mo. Ann. Stat. § 302.341
Moving traffic violation, failure to prepay fine or appear in court, license suspended, procedure — reinstatement when — excessive revenue from fines to be distributed to schools — definition, state
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highways

If a Missouri resident charged with a moving traffic violation of this state or any county or municipality of this state fails to dispose of the charges of which the

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resident is accused through authorized prepayment of fine and court costs and fails to appear on the return date or at any subsequent date to which the case has been continued, or without good cause fails to pay any fine or court costs assessed against the resident for any such violation within the period of time specified or in such installments as approved by the court or as otherwise provided by law, any court having jurisdiction over the charges shall within ten days of the failure to comply inform the defendant by ordinary mail at the last address shown on the court records that the court will order the director of revenue to suspend the defendant's driving privileges if the charges are not disposed of and fully paid within thirty days from the date of mailing. Thereafter, if the defendant fails to timely act to dispose of the charges and fully pay any applicable fines and court costs, the court shall notify the director of revenue of such failure and of the pending charges against the defendant. Upon receipt of this notification, the director shall suspend the license of the driver, effective immediately, and provide notice of the suspension to the driver at the last address for the driver shown on the records of the department of revenue. Such suspension shall remain in effect until the court with the subject pending charge requests setting aside the noncompliance suspension pending final disposition, or satisfactory evidence of disposition of pending charges and payment of fine and court costs, if applicable, is furnished to the director by the individual. The filing of financial responsibility with the bureau of safety responsibility, department of revenue, shall not be required as a condition of reinstatement of a driver's license suspended solely under the provisions of this section.

Driver's license suspension/impoundment Traffic Yes
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Oregon Or. Rev. Stat. § 809.210(1) Suspension or restriction of driving privileges for failure to pay fine or obey court order; exceptions

(1) A court may do any of the following if the defendant is convicted of any traffic offense and fails or refuses to pay a fine imposed by the court or

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to comply with any condition upon which payment of the fine or any part of it was suspended: (a) Issue a notice of suspension to the Department of Transportation that directs the department to implement procedures under ORS 809.416. (b) Order a defendant’s driving privileges restricted.

Driver's license suspension/impoundment Traffic Yes
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Wyoming Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 31-9-305 Payment of judgments in installments; failure to meet payments

(a) A judgment debtor upon notice to the judgment creditor may apply to the court in which judgment was rendered for the privilege of paying the judgment in installments and

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the court, in its discretion and without prejudice to any other legal remedies which the judgment creditor may have, may order and fix the amounts and times of payment of the installments.

(b) The division shall not suspend a license, registration or a nonresident's operating privilege, and shall restore any license, registration or nonresident's operating privilege suspended following nonpayment of a judgment, when the judgment debtor gives proof of financial responsibility and obtains an order permitting the payment of the judgment in installments, and while the payment of any installment is not in default.

(c) If the judgment debtor fails to pay any installment as specified by the order, then upon notice of default, the division shall suspend the license, registration or nonresident's operating privilege of the judgment debtor until the judgment is fully satisfied, as provided in this act.

Driver's license suspension/impoundment, Payment plan/installment plan All No
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Wyoming Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 31-9-303 Continued suspension until judgment satisfied; discharge in bankruptcy

Except as provided in W.S. 31-9-305, the license, registration and nonresident's operating privilege shall not be renewed, nor shall any license or registration be issued in the name of the

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person, including any person not previously licensed, until every judgment is stayed, satisfied or discharged, except that a discharge in bankruptcy does satisfy the judgment for the purposes of this section.

Driver's license suspension/impoundment All Yes