Broken Taillight Theory: Striking a Balance Between Due Process Requirements And Budgetary Concerns in Texas Municipal CourtsThere has been a recent surge of due process constitutional concerns in the criminal justice system. One such concern comes in the form of the imposition of fines and fees on indigent individuals, specifically in the Houston municipal context. This Comment explores the current caselaw and legislation around municipal fines and fees and indigency. Part I uses a hypothetical to set out the issues posed by imposing municipal fines and fees on the indigent. In Part II, this Comment analyzes the offenderfunded model of the American criminal justice system through both past and present practices. In Part III, the analysis focuses on striking a balance between the criminal justice system's budgetary needs and due process concerns. Pa rt IV uses recent Tennessee driver's license suspension policies and Houston hail bonds cases as potential guideposts in approaching the due process issues. Finally, P art V proposes policy reforms to supplement current Texas legislation and delves into the current legislation's effectiveness.