NASHVILLE - City councils and county commissions statewide would have to vote to approve placing traffic surveillance cameras on roads and intersections under a bill that passed the House today on a 89-to-4 vote.
Senate Bill 3586, which passed the Senate previously in a much different form, now goes back to that chamber to see if senators will agree to the House's changes. House proponents predict their Senate counterparts will go along.
The bill originally began as a measure broadening the scope of services that can be offered by auto clubs. But traffic photo enforcement foes seized on it as a vehicle to implement at least a watered-down version of their restrictions that have been stymied in committee.
Efforts to ban cameras in specific counties and communities were withdrawn after sponsors warned it would interfere with the Senate's willingness to go along.
Rep. Frank Nicely, R-Strawberry Plains, reluctantly withdrew an amendment that would have banned cameras in Jefferson County.
"They can Photoshop these things," he said. "They can put your head on somebody else's body."
Rep. Vince Dean, R-East Ridge, a retired Chattanooga police lieutenant and former East Ridge mayor, later appeared to admonish colleagues over their rush to interfere with local governments' ability to use cameras to enforce laws.
"I hesitate to say this one last thing," he said. "I know this is a very passionate issue for folks. Unfortunately, our constituents are the ones who get these traffic citations too often. And unfortunately, they call us when they get these traffic citations for violating the law.
"And I just say," Rep. Dean continued, "how dare us expect the citizens of Tennessee to abide by the state laws that we've enacted on the streets?"
For complete details, see tomorrow's Chattanooga Times Free Press.