In discussing the issue of dealing with scofflaws by stopping the registration, I got this bit of information:
As to your ideas about the state…..In Virginia, we have this program, but there’s a catch. Here’s the way it works, We can place a “stop” against license plate renewals with the state’s DMV through an on-line software. It is free to place the stop, but the state charges $20 to release the stop and we pass this cost directly onto the scofflaw. The catch is that the vehicle has to reside in our locality or city. Therefore, most of our scofflaws are commuters from neighboring counties or cities (as we have the largest downtown in the region), we can’t place a stop against their vehicle. I’ve tried for about 3 years to get the state law changed, but have failed.
Now why would she fail? Here’s my guess. Legislators rack up tickets in the state capitol, then go back home to their locality and don’t want to have this action taken against them. It’s these same legislators, I’ll bet, that vote against the rule which would allow any car’s registration to be held up, not just those whose owners live in the municipality where the citation was issued.
This is just politics as usual. Handicapped parking permits issue to legislators so they don’t have to pay for parking, 8000 earmarks on a budget bill, laws written so they personally don’t have to pay parking tickets.
We get what we deserve.
JVH
