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HB 1926

Traffic control device and traffic light signal violation monitoring systems; issuance of summons.

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Mamie Locke and 1 co-sponsor

HB 1926 requires courts to collect and consider a defendant’s monthly income and expenses when deciding whether to suspend, revoke, or not renew a driver’s license for unpaid fines

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Bill Summary · HB 1926

Summary — HB 1926 (Arkansas, 2025) — Driver’s license actions for unpaid court fines

Note: The source materials provided contain mixed and partially conflicting entries (including an unrelated appropriation title for the City of Indianola and stray text from an Illinois bill also labeled HB1926). This summary treats the primary bill text and fiscal documents as an Arkansas bill introduced January 16, 2025, concerning suspension/revocation/nonrenewal of driver’s licenses for failure to pay court-ordered fines.

Main purpose and intent

HB 1926 would change Arkansas law to require courts to gather and consider a defendant’s monthly income and expenses when determining whether a defendant who claims inability to pay a court-ordered fine should have driving privileges revoked, suspended, or not renewed. The bill seeks to ensure ability-to-pay information is collected and considered before courts request driver’s license sanctions, and to notify the Department of Finance and Administration (DFA) if the defendant failed to supply that information.

Key provisions

  • Adds a requirement that when a defendant claims inability to pay a court-imposed fine, the defendant must provide the court with monthly financial information including:
    • Monthly income
    • Monthly housing costs
    • Monthly utility costs
    • Monthly childcare costs
    • Monthly transportation costs
    • Monthly healthcare costs
    • Monthly tax liability
    • Other necessary monthly costs
  • Requires courts to consider the information provided under Ark. Code § 16-13-702(a)(5)(A)(ii) when deciding whether to request revocation, suspension, or nonrenewal of a person’s driver’s license (amendment to Ark. Code § 16-13-708(a)).
  • Requires that when a court requests DFA to revoke/suspend/nonrenew a driver’s license, the court must include (as before) the reason for the action, amount owed, and personal identifying information; and additionally, if the defendant failed to provide the required financial data, the court must notify DFA of that failure (amendment to Ark. Code § 16-13-708(b)).
  • Draft shows typical bill formatting (stricken/underlined language) and is authored by Rep. Unger and Sen. J. Bryant.

Who would be affected

  • Defendants in Arkansas charged fines: they would be required to provide itemized monthly financial information if asserting inability to pay.
  • Courts and judges: would be required to obtain, review, and consider defendants’ financial information before ordering driver’s license sanctions.
  • Department of Finance and Administration (DFA) and its Driver Services/DMV offices: would receive notifications from courts and may need to account for the new notification data.
  • Potentially, attorneys, public defenders, and court clerks who assist in intake and documentation.

Fiscal and implementation impact

  • DFA fiscal impact statements report no fiscal cost to the state.
  • Procedural notes in the fiscal file indicate training and review sessions would be conducted for State Revenue Office, Office of Driver Services, and Office of Motor Vehicle staff; implementation time is “adequate.”
  • Resources required: listed as none; no new state expenditures identified.

Procedural status / timeline (from provided materials)

  • Introduced: January 16, 2025.
  • Sponsors: Rep. Unger (primary) and Sen. J. Bryant (primary).
  • Provided metadata lists the bill as “Died In Committee” (Appropriations A) on 2025-02-26.
  • Source materials also contain conflicting legislative action entries (including actions consistent with passage and enrollment and a label “Act 980”); these appear to be conflated records and should be verified against the official Arkansas legislative history for final status.

If you want, I can:
- Verify the official Arkansas legislative history for HB 1926 (2025) and reconcile the conflicting status entries.
- Produce a short checklist for courts and defendants summarizing what documents or evidence would satisfy the financial disclosure requirement.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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