It’s rare to see a bill receive any type of bipartisan support in Jefferson City, but that is what happened earlier this month with the passage of Senate Bill 5. This is good news for all citizens of this state, especially those in St. Louis County who have been brutally ripped off for years by greedy municipalities trying to meet their bottom lines. Senate Bill 5 was signed by Governor Nixon last week, and while the bill has a lengthy list of reforms, the key points you should know include:

– The amount of traffic-related revenue collected by local governments outside of St. Louis County cannot exceed 20% of the town’s general operating revenue

– The amount of traffic-related revenue collected by local governments inside St. Louis County cannot exceed 12.5% of the town’s general operating revenue

– Fines and court costs for minor traffic offenses cannot exceed $300 per offense

– NOBODY can be sentenced to jail simply because they cannot afford to pay a fine

– Courts cannot charge additional “Failure to Appear” fines to those who do not appear in court on their traffic charges

There are some other changes in store thanks to the passage of this bill, which you can read about here. To read the full version of Senate Bill 5, click here.