Law Creates Penalty for Failure to Pay Court-Ordered Obligations

January 3, 2019

On January 1, 2019, Public Act 100-1004 (the “Act”) went into effect, increasing penalties for drivers who fail to pay court-ordered fines, child support, or other fees. The Act provides that a person who drives or is in actual physical control of a motor vehicle while his or her driver’s license or privilege to drive is suspended due to a failure to pay traffic fines pursuant to 625 ILCS 5/6-306.5 or failure to pay child support pursuant to 7-702 of the Illinois Vehicle Code shall receive a Uniform Traffic Citation. This citation will be a petty offense. If a driver receives three or more Uniform Traffic Citations pursuant to this Act without paying any fees associated with the citations, that individual shall be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor.

Municipal police departments should be familiar with this new traffic law and its implications for their enforcement activities.