Waterford Today

A proposal by Rep. Mike Mueller (R-Linden) to revise penalties for driving with a suspended license has been approved by the Michigan House.

The bill would change first- and second-time offenses to civil rather than criminal violations, if the license was suspended for a civil infraction such as a parking ticket.

If the suspension was for drunk driving or any offense causing an injury, the first offense for driving with a suspended license would be a criminal misdemeanor punishable by up to 93 days in jail and fines of up to $500.

Rep. Mike Mueller | Michigan House Republicans

The purpose of the legislation is to reduce the state’s jail population.

“I worked hard with the chiefs of police and with the sheriffs' association to come up with a sensible approach to driving on a suspended license,” Mueller said, according to an audio file on Michigan House Republicans website. “It keeps people working, because in Michigan, there's over 300,000 people cited or arrested on a suspended license in the last year. That would reduce our jail population quite a bit, keep people working.”

Mueller, a retired sheriff’s deputy, said his bill makes the punishment more proportional to the violation.

“I’ve seen it happen countless times. Good citizens end up wrapped up in the criminal justice system, go to jail or even lose their jobs, simply because they couldn’t afford to pay a ticket,” Mueller said, according to Michigan House Republicans. “There’s no need to waste taxpayer dollars and jam up law enforcement and the courts on minor offenses like these. They have much bigger issues to worry about.”

A first offense for driving on a suspended license would result in a maximum $150 fine, a second up to $250. A third offense would be a misdemeanor with penalties of up to 93 days in jail and a $500 fine.

The bill now goes to the Michigan Senate for consideration.