TELL LAWMAKERS: END DEBT-BASED DRIVER'S LICENSE SUSPENSIONS

TAKE ACTION NOW

Every year, Massachusetts suspends the driver's licenses of tens of thousands of people for defaulting on debt, even when the reason for their debt has nothing to do with driving safety violations or traffic laws. This punishes poor and rural populations, and perpetuates inequalities in the criminal legal system.

We're calling on lawmakers to support a bill that would end these kinds of debt-based license suspensions in Massachusetts. Will you lend your support?

Please take a moment to personalize the message. Your voice and your reasons for supporting civil liberties matter! Learn more about the bill at here.

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Subject

As we enter the season of holiday travel, I want to lift up an issue that impacts far too many Massachusetts residents and urge you to support "An Act to Eliminate Debt-Based Incarceration and Suspensions" (H.3453 & S.2304).

Message Body

Every year, Massachusetts suspends the driver's licenses of tens of thousands of people for defaulting on debt, even when the reason for their debt has nothing to do with driving safety violations or traffic laws. According to the RMV, in one month in 2019 alone, the agency suspended 11,814 Massachusetts drivers for failing to pay monetary sanctions, including fines and fees.

This practice punishes the poor and perpetuates inequalities in the criminal legal system. It forces families to make an impossible choice: drive illegally in order to complete basic tasks like getting to work or medical appointments, or lose income and access to essential services. This disproportionately harms people in rural areas with little or no access to public transportation. It also exacerbates racial disparities by needlessly increasing contacts with the criminal legal system.

Suspensions like this have nothing to do with road safety and everything to do with criminalizing poverty. That's why I urge you to support this bill, which will eliminate several suspension triggers that are not related to safe driving, like failure to pay indigent counsel fees or parking tickets. It would also create a process for judges to reduce fines and fees if a person doesn't have the means to pay.

At a time of increasing poverty and mounting debt across the Commonwealth, we can't keep placing hurdles in front of working people who just want to support themselves and their families. When it comes to promoting equity, we need Massachusetts to be at the head of the pack.

I urge you once again to support this bill.

Sincerely,

[First Name] [Last Name]

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TELL LAWMAKERS: END DEBT-BASED DRIVER'S LICENSE SUSPENSIONS

TAKE ACTION NOW

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