Tag Archives: fines

It’s fine

Posted on August 31, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Some things never change. The Texas House Democrats who bolted for roughly six weeks to stop the Legislature from passing new laws would have racked up about $20,000 each in fines under a rule change proposed to stop such quorum … Continue reading →

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More reasons not to put people in jail

Posted on March 15, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

We shouldn’t put people in jail for owing fines. In January, state Rep. James White, R-Hillister, filed House Bill 1125, which would ban Texas judges from jailing people for an offense that is punishable only by a fine. State Rep. … Continue reading →

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Speeding tickets and vehicle registration

Posted on November 15, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I confess, I’m puzzled by this. Municipal Court Presiding Judge Barbara Hartle has a proposal on Wednesday’s City Council agenda to sign an agreement with the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles that would have the state refuse to issue vehicle … Continue reading →

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On tickets and plea bargains

Posted on September 8, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting story about the municipal courts, but I’m a bit puzzled by the numbers cited. About 22,000 traffic tickets were dismissed in a single month in Houston this summer – nearly half the number issued during that span, according to … Continue reading →

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Maybe we need more tickets

Posted on March 1, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Grits reads a story about the decline of traffic tickets in Dallas and does some figuring. What’s remarkable is not just this year’s drop but the overall 39% decline since ’06-’07. Wondering if the same trend is occurring statewide, Grits … Continue reading →

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Walle files bills to address school ticketing

Posted on February 13, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

A couple of weeks ago I noted a Texas Appleseed report that discussed an increase in “Class C misdemeanor ticketing and arrest of students for low-level, non-violent behavior that historically has been handled at the school level”, which it believes … Continue reading →

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HPD sends “Pay your red light camera ticket or else” letter

Posted on July 17, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

With predictable results. Houston police have notified 79,000 motorists that they cannot renew their vehicle registrations until they pay red light camera fines and penalties, even though Harris County officials repeatedly have said they will not prevent people from registering … Continue reading →

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Those uncollected surcharges

Posted on February 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s an update on the Texas Driver Responsibility Program, which was created in 2003 as a way to raise revenue by adding hefty extra fees to certain moving violations. “It’s a complete failure,” said state Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso, … Continue reading →

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Warrants

Posted on August 9, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Lots of people out there have outstanding warrants. Nearly 2 million warrants worth more than $340 million are outstanding in the Houston area, and in most cases they’re not for hard-core criminals. They’re for average residents who haven’t settled minor … Continue reading →

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