Six weeks ago during my opening remarks, I spoke about some of the injustices we have seen lately in our municipal court system. Over the years, the people of Missouri have lost faith in our municipalities. Cities across the state continue to abuse traffic enforcement, not to discourage bad behavior, but rather to support their own governmental bureaucracy. I have heard stories of municipalities building line items into their budgets for projected growth from increased traffic violations. Some are even turning a profit, pushing some of the poorest residents in our state further into poverty.

The cities that have become dependent on fines and fees to operate have destroyed the bonds of trust between the people and the municipal court system.This scheme of ‘taxation by citation’ is an unsustainable trend that stifles our communities. It should be about safety promotion, not revenue collection. We should not put our law enforcement officers in the position of being revenue generators.

This week, the Senate passed legislation that will help reform these abusive practices. Senate Bill 5 reduces the threshold for the general operating revenue coming from traffic fines for cities, towns or villages. In most cases, revenues from fines and penalties that exceed that threshold will be distributed to local schools. Violators of the law will face additional penalties.

The injustices of the system extend across the state, but are perhaps most pronounced in St. Louis County and its 90 municipalities, an astonishing 81 of which have their own municipal court system.  Each municipality has a responsibility to its people that it must uphold. While government may not be perfect, it must be accountable. More reform may be needed, but this is a step in the right direction.

I always appreciate hearing from you. If you have any questions about the topics discussed above, or any other issues, please do not hesitate to contact my office.

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