The state Senate approved a bill Thursday that makes it tougher for local governments to use red light cameras as a revenue generator.
For the second time in as many weeks, debate over the measure banning red light cameras was fiercely contested. This time some lawmakers sought to attach an amendment that allocates a portion of the fines toward trauma care. However, some feared the entire bill faced certain death if tied to trauma care funding.
Senate President Pro Tem Eric Johnson had backed a proposal to fund trauma care with an additional car tag fee. He urged his colleagues to support the bill but reject the trauma care amendment.
"If you wanna do something for trauma, let's do it the right way and not the wrong way. If you vote for this, and people think they've fixed the trauma problem, they haven't and it'll make it harder to pass the 10-dollar fee for trauma care".
The trauma care amendment failed but the bill did pass the Senate 45-13. It requires local municipalities apply to the Department of Transportation for permission to install any new red light cameras. It also mandates the cameras be necessary for public safety and not to raise money.
--from Valarie Edwards at the Capitol
For the second time in as many weeks, debate over the measure banning red light cameras was fiercely contested. This time some lawmakers sought to attach an amendment that allocates a portion of the fines toward trauma care. However, some feared the entire bill faced certain death if tied to trauma care funding.
Senate President Pro Tem Eric Johnson had backed a proposal to fund trauma care with an additional car tag fee. He urged his colleagues to support the bill but reject the trauma care amendment.
"If you wanna do something for trauma, let's do it the right way and not the wrong way. If you vote for this, and people think they've fixed the trauma problem, they haven't and it'll make it harder to pass the 10-dollar fee for trauma care".
The trauma care amendment failed but the bill did pass the Senate 45-13. It requires local municipalities apply to the Department of Transportation for permission to install any new red light cameras. It also mandates the cameras be necessary for public safety and not to raise money.
--from Valarie Edwards at the Capitol
