A Senate committee killed House Bill 1100 last week, but has now sent the measure to the floor without recommendation after the full Senate invoked the smoke-out rule. It received only one dissenting vote as it moved through the House. The bill prevents any entity within the state from using red light cameras or photo radar systems to verify traffic violations.
Senator Craig Tieszen is chair of the Senate Judiciary committee. He says it’s a bad bill as currently written, but hopes amendments will be added on the floor.
“The discussion was always about red light cameras and the bill came with radar detection included. I think we need to make it very clear that cameras in police cars aren’t affected by this bill. Secondly, a concern that I think most of us have has been the companies that provide these machines on some contract agreement to cities, I think some of them have not acted in good faith,” Tieszen says.
Tieszen says he would be in favor of letting municipalities operate the photo radar systems on their own, rather than through contracts. Because the bill was smoked-out, the committee couldn’t add amendments Tuesday.