In an effort to help people regain their driver’s licenses and reduce debt for unpaid fines and fees owed to courts and collection agencies, Bremerton Municipal Court and other courts throughout the state are offering a “debt reduction program” throughout the month of May, according to Bremerton Municipal Court.

The program’s main goal is to assist people with regaining their driver’s licenses after being suspended or revoked due to unpaid fines and fees.

“The Bremerton Municipal Court is very aware of the financial burdens everyone is facing these days,” Bremerton Municipal Court Judge James Docter said. “We want to do our part in helping our citizens by providing some relief to those who want to pay their outstanding obligations to the court. Most of these fines have been in collection status for years. We believe that by removing or lowering some of the fees, many citizens will be able to become validly licensed. Our ultimate goal is to have all drivers on the road validly licensed. This is just one more step towards that goal.”

Bremerton Municipal Court will be working with its collection agency to waive interest and a significant portion of collection costs, according to a court news release. When the accounts are paid in full by May 31, they also will be removed from clients’ credit reports.

Once paid tickets are reported to the court, the court will notify the Washington State Department of Licensing and the person’s driving record will be cleared, according to the news release. The driver may be able to obtain a valid driver’s license 48 hours later if no other offense prevents it.

The program is offered May 1-31. Those with outstanding tickets or fines should contact the Bremerton Municipal Court at (360) 473-5260 or AllianceOne at (800) 456-8838.

For a full listing of the more than 100 state courts participating in similar debt reduction programs, visit the Washington Courts Web site at www.courts.wa.gov.