LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – Instead of paying a fine for a parking ticket, House Bill 269 would allow you to pay the ticket with canned goods, school supplies or clothing items. The parking fines would be replaced by donations.
The proposal has the support of Maj. Roy Williams, area commander of the Louisville Salvation Army.
“We could definitely used the goods,” he said. “We are always feeding people 365 days a year.”
The Louisville Salvation Army is just one area nonprofit that could benefit from such legislation. The organization hands out 1,500 food boxes every year and provides over 400 warm meals every day.
Bill sponsor state Rep. McKenzie Cantrell, D-Louisville, said cities in other parts of the country already have this type of program, with a play on words such as “Food for Fines” or “Donations for Citations.”
“Local governments would forgo a little bit of revenue that they would bring in for the parking citation,” Cantrell said. “But you are going to see good things coming through the community in terms of the donations and how they're used.”
If passed, the bill would allow — but would not require — cities to implement the program.
“They would have to adopt an ordinance first, and all my legislation does is sort of set out what needs to be in the ordinance,” Cantrell said.
Cities would decide what qualifies as a donation and a nonprofit organization, and they could choose whether to implement the program year-round or at certain times, such as the holidays.
For nonprofits such as the Salvation Army, any help would be welcomed.
“I’ve never seen a time that we weren’t in need,” Williams said.
The bill passed the House, but still needs to pass in the Senate.
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