The Austin Municipal Court is hosting one last driver’s license recovery clinic Friday to help residents who have lost their licenses for failure to pay Department of Public Safety surcharges.
Municipal Court Operations Manager Olivia Cosby said they expect fewer people at Friday’s clinic after the Texas Legislature repealed the Driver Responsibility Program this year. Nevertheless, there are still people who have open misdemeanor cases.
“That means perhaps they were driving without valid insurance, driving without a valid license then they are still subject to having their license suspended," Cosby said. "So by resolving and closing those cases, they can then go and drive legally on the road, which is safer for everyone.
People would still need to go to DPS offices to reinstate their licenses. Cosby estimates roughly 500 people so far have been helped by the quarterly clinics. The court is partnering with University of Texas School of Law Mithoff Pro Bono Program and Fair Defense Project for the clinic.
While Travis County has participated in the past, it will not take part Friday, so the clinic will only help people who received a ticket filed with Austin Municipal Court.
The court plans to offer other types of off-site clinics in the future, officials said.
“We might be focusing on things like an expungement clinic or a juvenile case clinic or something of that nature,” Cosby said. “We just want to make it easier for those who have transportation barriers, or financial barriers, or who are indigent, to be able to resolve their cases just as easily as someone else.”
The clinic runs from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Austin Rutherford Lane Campus, Building 1 Auditorium, at 1520 Rutherford Lane.
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