NASHVILLE – Senate Transportation Committee members on Wednesday blew the whistle on legislation restricting government’s use of red-light and speed enforcement cameras, effectively killing the bill by shuttling it off for summer study.
Senators complained that they knew little about the legislation, which had been formulated by the House Transportation Committee after a series of House hearings.
“I just know what I read in the paper,” complained Sen. Tim Barnes, D-Adams. “This Senate committee is asked to vote on this after we’ve not participated in any study.”
He made a motion calling for a joint Senate-House study committee, which the committee quickly approved. The House bill, sponsored by House Transportation Committee Chairman Bill Harmon, D-Dunlap, has been delayed in the House Budget Subcommittee, pending action on the budget.
Chattanooga officials, who had opposed the Harmon bill, voiced relief.
“The city is happy with what’s happened today,” said Matt Lea, a special assistant to Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield. “We want to make sure that with any legislation that’s passed that it’s good legislation not only for the city of Chattanooga but ultimately for the state. We would rather see the committee continue to study it, look at some of the questions posed and … come up with good legislation.”
Sen. Andy Berke, D-Chattanooga, joined in sending the bill off to study committee in the 5-1 vote.
The bill’s Senate sponsor, Tim Burchett, R-Knoxville, said police chiefs and cities “worked the bill pretty hard. The members weren’t comfortable voting on it because they really weren’t at the table when the House had their meeting.”
Sen. Burchett said, “If I could, I’d put them (traffic cameras) out of business – yesterday. I don’t like them. There’s something (inherently) wrong with cameras policing our people. We’re becoming one nation under surveillance.”
Noting he backed legislation several years ago to limit photo enforcement fines to $50, Sen. Burchett said, “I’d like to just continue to neuter them.”
House Transportation Committee Chairman Harmon told the Knoxville News Sentinel that he hasn’t given up on his efforts to restrict camera use, and he could seek to use other bills as vehicles on which to attach his plan.
His bill required cities to conduct traffic engineering studies before placing cameras.
It also prohibits cities from charging more than the current $50 fine for traffic scofflaws who don’t pay their fines on time, which cities say encourages violators not to pay anything.