attack and to leave his bed would imperil his life, or, after he had made careful plans for transportation to the court house, his vehicle breaks down or unexpected weather conditions bring traffic to a halt." State laws All fifty states have implemented statutes penalizing FTAs, which several state statutes call "bail jumping" in their official codes. The District of Columbia and all states besides Mississippi make FTAs the basis of additional criminal charges. For example, an FTA can qualify as a misdemeanor or felony in Idaho depending on the underlying offense:A person set at liberty by court order, with or without bail, upon condition that he will subsequently appear at a specified time and place, commits a misdemeanor if, without lawful excuse, he fails to appear at that time and place. The offense constitutes a felony where the required appearance was to answer to a charge of felony, or for disposition of any such charge, and the actor took flight or went into hiding to avoid apprehension, trial or punishment. This section does not apply to obligations to appear incident to release under suspended sentence or on probation or parole.At least thirty states and the District of Columbia authorize courts to issue bench warrants for a defendant's arrest or orders for a defendant to appear after an FTA. Many jurisdictions leave the decision to issue a bench warrant within the judge's discretion—at least under some circumstances. For example, in Maryland, a defendant who "forfeits . . . bail or recognizance and willfully fails to surrender" will have a bench warrant automatically issued for their arrest, whereas a judge retains discretion over whether to use a bench warrant when a defendant fails to appear in response to a citation. At least forty states impose a driver's license penalty for FTAs, often suspending an individual's license until the person appears in court. These laws generally apply when the FTA occurs in traffic court. In Missouri, a "resident charged with a moving traffic violation" will have their license automatically suspended for failing to appear in court when required. At least seven states authorize driver's license suspensions for reasons unrelated to traffic court. Other license-related punishments include "authorized vehicle immobilization, liens and mandatory delinquency [and] reinstatement fees." Consequences for future proceedings An FTA will often follow a defendant in future proceedings. When deciding whether to release someone pretrial, a judge must usually ask