Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Minor traffic infractions no longer criminal under proposed bill

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Assemblywoman Michele Fiore

CARSON CITY — Drivers who violate minor traffic laws should be issued a civil citation and not charged with a criminal offense, state Assemblywoman Michele Fiore, R-Las Vegas, said today.

Charging people with a misdemeanor crime over minor traffic infractions “ruins people’s lives,” Fiore said. She is proposing a maximum $250 civil penalty for small violations.

Fiore, testifying before the Assembly Judiciary Committee, noted that speeding is not a crime in 26 other states.

She gained the support of the American Civil Liberties Union and the public defenders offices in Clark and Washoe counties, which noted that the courts are clogged with such misdemeanor cases.

Municipal Court judges and justices of the peace objected to portions of the bill.

Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Janiece Marshall questioned who would pursue people who fail to pay the fines if the cases are removed from the criminal courts. She said switching to a civil procedure would be a “very expensive process.”

Carson City Justice of the Peace John Tatro said that in 20 years he has sentenced only one person to jail time over traffic infractions, and that individual had been charged with five offenses.

“We need to know the ramifications of this,” Tatro said.

Judges also said the proposed bill would take away their authority to order people to serve community service, which helps local governments, and the money collected from fines would go to the state, instead of local governments.

Committee Chairman Ira Hansen, R-Sparks, suggested the sides try to reach a compromise before any vote is taken.

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