If you’ve been driving in or around Las Vegas and were pulled up by the long arm of the law, then we may have some good news for you. The state of Nevada passed a new bill which, we’re sure quite conveniently for some, means that as many as 35,000 traffic warrants are going away.
The state legislature was actually passed last year, but won’t go into effect until January 1st, 2023. It related to the decriminalization of some minor traffic violations, which will now be reclassified as civil infractions.
The Assembly Bill 116, signed by Governor Sisolak, is what tweaked many offenses considered criminal misdemeanors (and therefore arrestable offenses) into infections that will no longer subject those who commit them to arrest.
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The new bill means that 35,000 active warrants have been rejected through legal procedure by the Las Vegas Municipal Court. It also promises that those who were on the hook for fines related to said offenses will be able to sleep easy knowing that their dues are required no more.
The ruling is neither a silver bullet, nor some kind of get out of jail free card though – it isn’t to say that residents of Las Vegas can go around with a busted taillight and not worry about the ramifications. According to KTNV Las Vegas, drivers who break the law will still be subjected to tickets. The main difference is that those who leave their fines outstanding will no longer have to worry about seeing the inside of a jail cell.
Those who want to check whether their cases have been affected by the quashing of warrants can log on to lasvegasnevada.gov/municipalcourt.