Wood v. Iowa Department of Transportation, Motor Vehicle Division, 3-526 / 02-1492.
| Decision Date | 10 September 2003 |
| Docket Number | No. 3-526 / 02-1492.,3-526 / 02-1492. |
| Parties | JOHN WOOD, Petitioner-Appellant, v. IOWA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, MOTOR VEHICLE DIVISION, Respondent-Appellee. |
| Court | Iowa Court of Appeals |
Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Scott County, David E. Schoenthaler, Judge.
John Wood appeals the district court's ruling affirming the decision of the Iowa Department of Transportation not to renew his driver's license. AFFIRMED.
John Wood, Davenport, appellant pro se.
Thomas J. Miller, Attorney General, and Noel Hindt, Assistant Attorney General, for appellee.
Considered by Huitink, P.J., and Vaitheswaran and Eisenhauer, JJ.
In February 2001 John Wood sought to renew his Iowa driver's license. His application was denied by the Iowa Department of Transportation (Department) based on information in the National Drivers' License Registry. Wood's driving privileges in Ohio were cancelled in February 1996 for failure to pay a fine for a traffic offense. He also had three suspensions in Ohio for failure to show proof of financial responsibility.
Wood challenged the denial, and a hearing was held before an administrative law judge (ALJ) of the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals. Wood claimed he had paid the fine, but admitted he had not paid the court costs. The ALJ upheld the decision of the Department not to renew Wood's driver's license.
Wood appealed to the Department. The Department determined:
In Iowa the failure to satisfy a fine, penalty, surcharge, or court costs shall result in the suspension of a person's driver's license. Iowa Code section 321.210A.
The appellant's argument that because he paid the fine the nonresident violator compact does not give Iowa the authority to deny him a driver's license is not found persuasive. Section 321.513(1)(b) requires a person to comply with the terms of a traffic stop. Court costs are part of the terms of a citation (See Iowa Code sections 602.8105 and .8106 and Section 805.11).
The Department additionally determined that Wood's failure to satisfy Ohio that he had proof of financial responsibility supported the denial of his driving privileges.
On judicial review, the district court determined Wood's application to renew his driver's license should not be denied based on his failure to provide proof of financial responsibility. The court concluded, however, that due to unpaid fines and/or court costs the Department properly refused to renew Wood's license. Wood appeals.
On appeal, we apply the standard of review set forth in Iowa Code section 17A.19(10) (2001) to the agency decision, to determine if our conclusions are the same of those of the district court. See Bromeland v. Iowa Dep't of Transp., 562 N.W.2d 624, 625 (Iowa 1997). We will reverse an agency's findings if, after reviewing the record as a whole, we determine substantial evidence does not support the agency's findings. Ramsey v. Iowa Dep't of Transp., 576 N.W.2d 103, 106 (Iowa 1998). Evidence is substantial if a reasonable person could accept it as adequate to reach the same findings. Id.
Iowa Code chapter 321C, Interstate Drivers License Compacts, allows the director of transportation to enter into compacts with other states that conform to the provisions of that chapter. State v. Vargason, 607 N.W.2d 691, 696 (Iowa 2000). Under Article IV(b) of the compact, concerning convictions in other states,1 "the licensing authority in the home state shall give such effect to the conduct as is provided by the laws of the home state." See id. at 698. Iowa does not give effect to out-of-state revocations or suspensions, but it considers out-of-state driving records in making its own licensing decisions. Id. at 697.
Under section 321.177(3), the Department may not issue a driver's license to "any person whose driver's license or driving privilege is suspended or revoked." Section 321.210A provides for the suspension of a driver's license for failure to pay a fine, penalty, surcharge or court costs. See State v. Campbell, 589 N.W.2d 705, 706 (Iowa 1999); State v. Garner, 469 N.W.2d 698, 699 (Iowa 1991).
Wood admitted he failed to pay the court costs upon...
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