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Follow TURFToll fines get reined in, but not by much
Not sure we can call this victory when the maximum fine is still $225 upon only the second notice of unpaid tolls, and when they can throw you into court after a single unpaid invoice. Is it any wonder they have trouble getting people to pay their tolls with fines in the hundreds and even thousands of dollars? Senator Tommy Williams' bill, SB 934, passed the Senate today and his bill would throw you in JAIL for failure to pay. What country are we living in when government wants to ruin your life using what amounts to usury under threat of jail time? Do you still think you elected limited government conservatives Texas?
Committee Passes Bill to Curb Excessive Tollway Fees
Posted By admin On March 31, 2011 @ 4:58 pm In On The Record | 1 Comment
Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN – The Senate Transportation & Homeland Security Committee today passed SB 469, legislation authored by Texas State Senator Jane Nelson to protect drivers from excessive administrative fees collected on delinquent tolls by the North Texas Tollway Authority. The bill now goes to the full Senate.
“I fully recognize that toll authorities need tools at their disposal to deal with toll violations and delinquent collections. However, I have heard from more than 160 constituents who have seen relatively small unpaid toll bills balloon into invoices totaling hundreds — in some cases thousands — of dollars,” said Senator Nelson, R-Flower Mound.
At the March 23 committee hearing, a Fort Worth woman testified she was charged $826 in fees for $23 worth of tolls.
Key provisions of Senate Bill 469 would:
limit NTTA to one $25 invoice fee regardless of how many missed tolls for drivers who pay within 30 days of receiving notice;
create a sliding scale of fees up to $225 on second notice for drivers who have multiple toll transactions;
authorize NTTA to include an additional fee for collection agencies to pursue the most flagrant violators; and
require one unpaid invoice and three unpaid notices of non-payment before the process would move through the court system.