MIDLAND, TX (KWES) - A new law is aiming to help the thousands of Texans who can't pay for their traffic violations. The new state law is offering a solution to Texans with low-incomes to avoid them getting locked up.
Speeding can lead to a ticket and if you don't pay that, it can lead to jail.
A new Texas state law is making it easier for people with low-incomes to avoid being locked up for traffic offenses.
"We don't want to set anyone up for failure, we want to work with the defendant to make sure they're complying with their court orders," said Jake Medrano, Midland Municipal Court Administrator. "The worst thing in the world is to ignore their citation."
If you must pay a fine but know you won't be able to afford it, the first step is talking to someone about it.
"The key is to always keep in contact," said Medrano. "If you can't do the payment plans, come in and talk to us, we'll see what we can do to get you back on track."
At the Midland Municipal Court, you fill out a paper with your financial information. From there it's decided if you qualify for a payment plan for your citation. A judge may even sentence you to community service instead.
"We have a lot going on in our lives and they may forget about their citations," said Medrano. "Before it turns into a warrant, we send out notices, this is part of Senate Bill 1913. We send out a notice of one more final reminder saying hey, come in and take care of your violation because we don't want defendants to go to jail."
Judges have arraignment hours scheduled 14 times per week. For more information visit midlandmunicipalcourt.com
