The NMA continues to advocate for motorists’ rights at the national, state and local level. Legislatures across the country took up a broad range of motorists’ issues in the first quarter of 2015. Here’s a brief summary of the driving-related issues we addressed.
Supported Senate Bill 1167 which would ban red-light and speed cameras statewide. The bill was voted down in the Senate.
Supported Assembly Bill 210 which would open High Occupancy Vehicle lanes to general traffic during off-peak hours on select Los Angeles County highways. The bill passed through one committee and is now under consideration in the Assembly Standing Committee on Appropriations.
Supported Senate Bill 34 which would increase privacy protections for data collected by automated license plate readers (ALPRs), including the imposition of security procedures and privacy policies, activity logs, and penalties for misuse of the data. The bill is scheduled for a hearing before the Senate Transportation and Housing Committee on April 7th.
Supported Assembly Bill 162 which would task the California Department of Transportation to conduct a study analyzing wrong-way driving on state highways and present recommendations to combat it. The bill is under consideration in the Assembly Standing Committee on Appropriations.
Supported House Bill 15-1098 which would repeal the authorization for the state, a county, a city or a municipality to use red-light cameras. It would also repeal the authorization for the Department of Public Safety to use speed cameras in work zones. The bill was amended in the House Transportation and Energy Committee and forwarded to the House Appropriations Committee.
Opposed House Bill 1404 which would allow speed cameras to issue tickets in work zones even when workers are not present as well as the use of school bus stop arm cameras. The bill’s author withdrew the bill after realizing it had no support and no chance of passing.
Opposed House Bill 60 which would make ignition interlock devices mandatory for all those convicted of DUI. The bill was recently assigned to the House Judiciary Committee.
Supported House Bill 410 which would end the practice of using red-light cameras to issue tickets for slow moving right turns. The bill would require that such citations be issued by a police officer at the time of the alleged violation. The bill was killed in the House Environment and Transportation Committee.
Supported House File 154 and House File 155 which would define requirements for retention and destruction of automated license plate reader (ALPR) information and create enhanced privacy protections for that data. Both bills are under review in the House Civil Laws and Data Practices Committee.
Supported House Bill 295 which would raise the speed limit on rural interstates from 70 to 75 mph. It would also give the Department of Public Safety the ability to request the Missouri Department of Transportation to raise speed limits on rural freeways to 75 mph. The House Transportation Committee held a public hearing on the bill in February.
Supported Senate Bill 196 which would prohibit all government entities in the state from using automated license plate readers as well as red-light and speed cameras. The bill is under review in the Senate Transportation, Infrastructure and Public Safety Committee.
Supported Senate Bill 2 which would allow the Nevada Department of Transportation to raise the speed limit on divided, largely rural highways to 80 mph, now heads to the full Senate for a vote. The bill has passed the Senate Transportation Committee.
Supported Senate Bill 1128 which would ban the use of all traffic enforcement cameras throughout the state. The bill was amended in the Senate Transportation and Safety Committee to replace an outright ban for longer yellow-light durations. The bill is now under review in the House Finance Ways and Means Subcommittee which has deferred action.
Supported Senate Bill 340 which would ban red-light cameras throughout the state. The bill is under consideration in the Senate Transportation Committee.
Supported House Bill 2079 which would repeal the commonwealth’s ban on using of radar detectors. The bill died in the House Transportation Committee.
Supported House Bill 1673 which would define requirements for retention and destruction of automated license plate reader information and create enhanced privacy protections for that data. The bill passed both the House and the Senate and was subsequently amended (some say gutted) by Gov. MCauliffe. The legislature now has until April 15th to vote on the revised measure.
Opposed House Bill 1951 which would lift all restrictions on the use of unmarked cars by county and city law enforcement officers. The bill has passed the House Public Safety Committee and is under review in the House Rules Committee.
Thanks to the many NMA members who volunteered their time to send emails, write letters, make phone calls, and work with policymakers and media outlets on these important issues. If you’re not signed up to receive legislative alerts but would like to, use the “Choose Your NMA E-Subscriptions” link in the sidebar of this email.