John Curley: Democrats try to ax suspended licenses to dodge accountability
Mar 7, 2025, 5:00 AM | Updated: Mar 17, 2025, 8:27 pm
Washington State Patrol trooper during traffic stop. (Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
(Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
In a move that underscores the deep partisan divide in the Washington State Legislature, House Bill 1244, sponsored by Democratic Representative Sharon Wylie of Vancouver, passed the House on Monday with a party-line vote. The bill hopes to replace suspended licenses with mandatory driving courses for drivers with multiple moving violations.
“I’m sure they don’t realize that when you press down on the pedal on the right, you go faster,” KIRO Newsradio host John Curley said on his show. “When you go into class, they’ll explain all the subtle nuances of the speed limit.”
Washington law mandates a 60-day driver’s license suspension for individuals who accumulate three moving violations within a year or four within two years. The suspension is followed by a one-year probation period, during which any additional moving violation results in a 30-day extension.
Related from MyNorthwest: Speed now, study later? Washington democrats push to swap license suspensions for driving courses
This is about lack of accountability
Under HB 1244, drivers who receive notice of a pending suspension for multiple infractions can complete a DOL-approved safe-driving course to have their suspension terminated early. They must still meet requirements for proof of automobile insurance and pay any necessary licensing fees.
“So rather than suspending the license, we’ll send in them school and give them their license back,” Curley said. “Is the problem that you suspend the person’s license, the cop comes up to you, you’re speeding, and then they ask for your driver’s license? They find out it’s suspended, and that person then gets arrested. I am gonna guess that’s what they’re trying to stop. They’re trying to stop the person from being arrested. They don’t like that. They don’t like the fact that person’s held accountable for their actions. So we’ll do is send them to school, and then we’ll put them back out on the road again.”
The bill heads to the Senate for consideration.
Listen to the full discussion on The John Curley Show.
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