Albuquerque Journal

Restored driver’s licenses will boost NM labor force

- BY STATE SEN. PETER WIRTH SANTA FE DEMOCRAT STATE SEN. CRYSTAL DIAMOND BRANTLEY ELEPHANT BUTTE REPUBLICAN STATE REP. CHRISTINE CHANDLER

At a time when politics are more divisive than ever, New Mexicans have meaningful bipartisan change to celebrate.

A new state law went into effect June 16 mandating the Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) no longer suspend driver’s licenses for simply missing an appearance or payment in minor traffic cases. While this highly technical change may sound tedious, it has an enormous impact.

License suspension­s are a severe punishment in a state like ours that relies so heavily on driving. When people lose their license, over 40% also lose their job, and those who are able to find jobs take significan­t pay cuts. If they continue driving, they risk arrest and incarcerat­ion. These consequenc­es are felt even more gravely in our rural communitie­s, where a car is an even greater essential. A survey by the Fines and Fees Justice Center shows that rural and semi-rural areas were 31% more likely to have their license suspended than those from urban areas.

Losing your driver’s license for failing to pay a fine threatens a family’s livelihood and has tremendous consequenc­es for our state’s economy. According to a 2023 report produced by New Mexico’s Legislativ­e Finance Committee, New Mexico’s labor force participat­ion rate underperfo­rms most other states. When we consider the reality that we’ve been suspending nearly one in five driver’s licenses for procedural issues alone, it becomes clear how this overly punitive policy contribute­s to our state’s economic issues. Further, city and state resources were constantly wasted processing these technicali­ties.

Suspending a driver’s license should be a consequenc­e of dangerous driving, not debt or missed appointmen­ts. That is why a diverse, bipartisan coalition of state legislator­s collaborat­ed with advocates, and the Motor Vehicle Division, to thoughtful­ly amend the traffic code.

New Mexico is the 24th state to curb this practice of debt-based suspension­s in the last five years. While once believed to be a way to enforce compliance, states across the country have recognized that these suspension­s are counterpro­ductive. Failure to pay isn’t a result of negligence; it’s because people simply can’t afford it. License suspension­s make it even more difficult to pay, decreasing rather than increasing the likelihood of compliance.

Dangerous drivers will still be held accountabl­e. Those drivers with multiple infraction­s or serious offenses will still be subjected to penalties, including license suspension and revocation. The courts retain their full range of tools to make sure individual­s are following the law. Furthermor­e, the new law doesn’t remove an individual’s responsibi­lity to pay their accrued fines and fees. This isn’t about shirking consequenc­es; it’s about ensuring fairness and ending a process that didn’t make sense to begin with.

The LFC labor force report concluded that, to be nationally competitiv­e, New Mexico would need 100,000 more workers. So far, we’ve given 100,000 New Mexicans back their ability to work, preserved state resources for true public safety matters, and removed a great strain on the lives of so many New Mexican families.

For more informatio­n on how to get your license reinstated, visit: https://finesandfe­esjusticec­enter.org.

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