Kotek forgiving traffic fines for 10,000 people

Gov. Tina Kotek has issued an order forgiving unpaid traffic fines and fees for 10,000 people who were “inadvertently omitted” former Gov. Kate Brown issued a forgiveness order last year for 7,000 people.

Kotek announced Tuesday that the Oregon Driver and Motor Vehicle Services Division discovered over the last year that some individuals who met the criteria of Brown's 2022 remission orders had not been included in the list.

The DMV discovered the original selection criteria used to pull names excluded some individuals who may have been eligible, division spokeswoman Michelle D. Godfrey said.

“Once DMV became aware of the issue, DMV leadership notified Governor Kotek's staff,” Godfrey said.

Kotek's Dec. 1 order covers people meeting the original criteria. It issues the same guidelines and removes existing fines for an additional 10,000 Oregonians, who could now have the opportunity to restore suspended licenses.

“Debt-based driver's license suspensions disproportionately impact rural and low-income Oregonians,” Kotek said in a prepared statement Tuesday. “For families who are already struggling to make ends meet, these orders seek to remove one more barrier to financial stability.”

Kotek's orders remit some $6 million of unpaid fines and fees that had gone unpaid for three or more years and are considered uncollectible, according to Kotek's office.

What traffic violations and fines are being forgiven in Oregon

The orders forgive fines and fees impacting individuals whose only sanction preventing a reinstatement was “failure to appear” or “failure to comply” penalties, meaning they either had not paid or had not appeared in court to do so.

The orders do not forgive fines and fees related to traffic crimes including misdemeanors and felonies or fines and fees related to criminal convictions.

How to find out if your Oregon traffic fine and fees has been forgiven

Impacted individuals will not be directly notified but can search for their names on the full list. They can also visit the DMV's website to learn if they were included and how to begin the process to reinstate their license.

Kotek's full list and order is available here and a compiled list of Brown's and Kotek's order is here.