Missouri lawmakers sent Governor Jay Nixon the first bill of the 2015 session that deals with the fallout from last year’s unrest in Ferguson.
The State House passed a measure on Thursday, May 7, that would limit the amount of revenue cities and towns can budget from traffic fines to 12.5 percent in St. Louis county and 20 percent for the rest of the state. It would bar courts from sending someone to jail for not being able to pay a fine on a minor traffic violation. House Speaker John Diehl, who has said that he would not have a “Ferguson agenda,” strongly urged lawmakers to pass the bill.
“You want to talk about freedom? Let’s talk about ending taxation by citation," Diehl said. "Government ought not to exist and fund itself by fining and imprisoning its citizens to collect money.”
Those who voted “no” said cities and towns in St. Louis County should be able to keep the same amount of revenues from traffic fines as the rest of the state. Meanwhile, Governor Nixon says he’ll give the bill a, quote, “hard review,” but so far he’s expected to sign it.
