The Albo & Oblon, LLC Abuser Fees Plan

Dave Albo, a traffic/DUI defense attorney, has a plan for transportation - and that plan involves lining his own pockets while doing little or nothing for our roads!

Albo's signature transportation plan is called the Albo & Oblon, LLC Abuser Fees Plan. It's called that because Albo's lawfirm is the only beneficiary. Here's how the National Motorist Association describes it:

Last year and this year, a bill was introduced in the Virginia Legislature to "punish dangerous drivers." This is code for further ripping off citizens who acquired a couple of traffic tickets.

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We're not talking pocket change, here. If you have four or more points on your license, you will be fined $100 [each year]. If you have more than four points, you will be fined an additional $75 per point [each year].

A reckless driving ticket, for example, will cost you $350 on top of the point fees.

Most people don't contest their tickets. However, after this legislation passes, you can be that thousands of Virginians would contest their tickets and seek the services of a traffic attorney - like Delegate Dave Albo!

Meanwhile, this convoluted proposal barely raises any money for our roads (estimates range between $50 million a year and $118 million). VDOT estimates that we need at least $1 billion per year in additional funding.

Even the Conservative Virginia Club for Growth opined against Albo's proposal, saying:

On a personal level, for Del. Albo to be sponsoring such a bill also sets a terrible precedent. In proposing this legislation Albo is facing an apparent, if not actual, conflict of interest.

You see, Albo makes his living as an attorney representing traffic violators in court. A cynic could, therefore, conclude that Albo’s sole motivation in raising the fines and penalties imposed on traffic offenders is to ensure that more of them would seek attorneys to represent them in traffic court.

Count me as a cynic. Dave Albo has no business proposing legislation like this.

Bonus material: A helpful reader sent me this. Check out what an Albo supporter wrote about the Albo & Oblon, LLC Abuser Fees Bill in the Springfield Connection:

To Del. Dave Albo (R-42nd):

I have been a Republican all my life, and I am outraged that a fellow member of the Party would pass a law that would increase penalties for the average American motorist in Fairfax County. Today, I am wondering why I spent hours of my life to get you into office, by volunteering for your campaign and fund-raising, when you have passed the most corrupt bill of your career. Fairfax County is known to have one of the toughest court systems relating to traffic enforcement in the United States. Unfortunately, we currently are faced with a judicial process that assumes guilt from the moment that an officer delivers a summons until innocence is proven. What is the point of going to court when the judges won't even listen to you without a lawyer? What's the point in paying a court fee when we can't even go to court and have our case tried fairly? My understanding of the Constitution is that we are innocent until proven guilty. Our rights are being violated, but we are quiet. No longer can I remain quiet about this injustice.

The current laws of traffic enforcement are corrupt; police officers are getting more and more power-hungry and rude. House Bill 1564 will only make this problem worse. This bill will increase the quota of cars that must be ticketed in order to meet simple budget requirements. To impose a $700 fine for accumulating four demerit points is an act of brutality. Unless you haven't noticed, even the smallest traffic violation in Virginia counts four demerit points. In a recently conducted study, it demonstrated that the average person commits a moving violation every two blocks he travels. The fact that this bill was created for additional revenue-generating purposes is completely unethical. Police officers’ No. 1 priority should not be to generate revenue but to protect its citizens from actual crime. As far as reckless driving goes, to impose a $350 fine is unfair. Reckless driving laws are not clear enough to impose this type of fine. We in this county have bigger fish to fry, such as stopping teen gang activity and stopping drug traffickers on the I-81 corridor.

This source of income to the commonwealth is not only unreliable but an insult that a Republican can sponsor a bill like this to generate funding. How about we quit crying about getting rid of the car tax and try to find a reliable source of income. Republicans are supposed to believe in less government-involvement in our lives, and I have seen bills coming from the Republican Party that are allowing the state to interfere with our daily lives. Respectfully speaking, not even you can tell your constituents that you are a perfect driver. I have seen you driving in your big black SUV on Rolling Road, traveling at high speeds. But of course you are immune to traffic laws, so you don't know how your constituents feel. For you to say, "You have a choice: The average citizen can pay, or the people who abuse our roads can pay," we really don't have a choice, and we all pay. Your bill is almost like stealing legal fees and fines totaling over $1,000 from your constituents. Please, I beg of you to find a better way to generate funding for the commonwealth. ...[emphasis added]