SEATTLE (AP) — Lawmakers in Washington state are moving ahead with a bill that aims to end the suspension of driver’s licenses for failure to pay traffic tickets — despite opposition from some of the activists who pushed for the change in the first place. The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington and other groups say it’s important to stop suspending people’s licenses for so-called “driving while poor,” but that an amendment added just before the measure passed the Senate creates a problematic loophole. The sponsor of the bill, Democratic Sen. Jesse Salomon of Shoreline, concedes he doesn’t like the amendment, but he argues the measure would still reinstate the licenses of 64,000 people who currently have suspended licenses and block future suspensions.
Activists want change to debt-based license suspension bill
