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Senate committee caps seat-belt-related court costs at $45 in SB575
Summary
A Senate committee on transportation approved SB575 as amended to cap the amount a driver pays for a seat-belt citation at $45 when a ticket is paid, removing language on proof-of-insurance and clarifying that the statutory citation and primary-offense status remain unchanged.
Senator Scott Flippo told the Senate Transportation, Technology & Legislative Affairs committee that Senate Bill 575 would cap the amount a motorist pays for a seat-belt citation at $45 when the ticket is paid, and the committee approved the bill as amended.
Flippo said the measure responds to inconsistent local additions that had driven some seat-belt-related payments well above the statutory intent. "What this bill does is it takes it and caps the fines at $45," he said. The amendment approved before the final vote strikes language dealing with proof of insurance, leaving the citation and primary-offense status intact.
John Wilkerson, general counsel of the Arkansas Municipal League, said counties and cities helped draft the clarifying language after hearing that some court fees had pushed total costs toward $100, which he said was not the legislative intent. "So the only, the only fine for a seat belt violation is $25 and then if you don't pay the ticket and you end up going to court, you will get assessed $25 in court cost," Wilkerson said, summarizing the structure the bill preserves while capping paid tickets at $45.
Committee members asked whether the change would affect enforcement or revenue. Mary Claire McLaren of the Arkansas State Police said the revisions "only apply to the statutes that allow the assessment of court costs. It does not affect citation fees or fines," and added that the state police "do not derive any revenue from court cost." The sponsor said he had not run a fiscal-impact estimate for the change.
Senators also debated whether a per‑offense cap would reduce deterrence for repeat noncompliance; supporters said the bill preserves the $25 citation (and other court-assessed costs if adjudicated) while removing wide local variation in immediate payable amounts.
A motion to pass SB575 as amended was made and seconded and the committee approved the bill by voice vote. The sponsor closed by asking for a favorable report.
