Bill > HB289

This bill authorizes the Commissioner of Public Safety to suspend a driver's license if a person fails to appear in court or resolve charges related to a serious traffic violation by the scheduled court date, as indicated on a uniform traffic citation. The process involves the court clerk notifying the accused of their failure to appear and giving them thirty days to resolve the charges; if they don't, the clerk will inform the Department of Public Safety's Driver Services Bureau, leading to license suspension. Reinstatement is possible once the accused schedules a new court date, appears in court, or the charges are resolved, and the applicable reinstatement fee is paid, unless waived by the court. The bill also clarifies that scheduling a new court date cannot be contingent on paying a previous failure-to-appear fee and outlines procedures for second or subsequent failures to appear, allowing courts discretion in suspending licenses in such cases. Furthermore, this bill extends the possibility of license suspension for failing to appear in court to holders of commercial driver's licenses (CDLs), aligning their suspension and reinstatement procedures with those for regular driver's licenses.

Justice

https://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2026/pdf/history/HB/HB0289.xml