Lawmakers are debating proposals for removing criminal penalties and jail time for some traffic offenses. A committee studying the issue will examine how to reclassify certain offenses.

A State House study committee is considering how other states have made changes to traffic offenses. The goal is to save taxpayers money on court costs by replacing jail time with fines you can pay online.

Opponents argue that decriminalization doesn’t work. But Representative Rich Golick of Smyrna who chairs the House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee says jail time would still be mandatory for serious offenses:

“Really what this comes down to is where do you draw the line, are there certain violations that should be taken out of the criminal code if they haven’t already, and are there certain violations that should remain in the criminal code like reckless driving.”

The committee will issue its report to the State House by the end of the year.

Tags: lawmakers, politics, traffic, parker wallace