Iowa House passes bill that would regulate use of speed cameras

THOUGH, AND WE’VE GOT SOME WARMTH AS WE HEAD DEEPER ON INTO THE WEEK AND BEYOND. WE’LL SHOW YOU WHEN THAT ARRIVES HERE. COMING UP IN JUST A BIT. OKAY? ZAIN. THANKS. CURBING SPEEDERS OR CASH GRAB. LAWMAKERS WANT TO MAKE SURE SPEED SPEED CAMERAS ARE INSTALLED FOR THE RIGHT REASON. KCCI AFFILIATED JACOBSON IS LIVE AT THE STATE HOUSE FOR US TONIGHT, WHERE LAWMAKERS JUST GAVE THE GREEN LIGHT FOR NEW RULES ON THOSE CAMERAS. OFELIA. YEAH. BEN. THEY DID. THIS BILL WOULD REQUIRE CITIES AND COUNTIES TO APPLY FOR A PERMIT THROUGH THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TO BE ABLE TO USE THOSE SPEED CAMERAS. LAWMAKERS FOR THIS BILL SAY MORE OVERSIGHT IS NEEDED TO ENSURE THIS SYSTEM ISN’T BEING ABUSED. THOSE VOTING I 85. THOSE VOTING NO 12 ABSENT OR NOT VOTING THREE. THE BILL RECEIVED A CONSTITUTION MAJORITY DECLARED TO PASS THE HOUSE. HOUSE LAWMAKERS PASSED A BILL TUESDAY THAT CREATES NEW RULES FOR WHERE AND HOW SPEED CAMERAS ARE USED. REPRESENTATIVE BRIAN BEST SAYS THE GOAL IS TO MAKE SURE CAMERAS ARE BEING USED FOR SAFETY AND NOT FOR REVENUE. WE DON’T WANT TO BE THE THE STATE THAT PEOPLE FROM NEBRASKA OR ILLINOIS DRIVE THROUGH, KNOWING THAT THERE’S GOING TO BE A SPEED TRAP ON EVERY SINGLE COMMUNITY ON I-80 CAMERAS WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO ISSUE A CITATION UNLESS A VEHICLE IS GOING AT LEAST TEN MILES AN HOUR OVER THE SPEED LIMIT. REVENUE FROM THOSE CITATIONS WOULD HAVE TO BE USED FOR TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE OR TO OFFSET COSTS FOR POLICE AND FIRE. IF YOU’RE SAYING THIS IS BEING DONE TO PROMOTE SAFETY, THEN WHY NOT PUT IT IN THAT IN THAT AREA? I WOULD THINK IF THE CITY IS USING THE AT, THEY SHOULD BE THE ONES TO DECIDE WHAT TO DO WITH THAT MONEY. I DON’T KNOW WHY WE’RE TAKING AWAY LOCAL CONTROL. ALL SIGNS WOULD ALSO HAVE TO BE POSTED NEAR THE CAMERAS IN CITIES AND COUNTIES WITH A POPULATION OF LESS THAN 20,000 WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO ISSUE TICKETS USING SPEED CAMERAS. THEY COULD ISSUE WARNINGS WITH THEM, THOUGH THE LONGER WE SIT AROUND AND DO NOTHING ON THIS, THE MORE WE’RE SEEING THESE SYSTEMS BEING ABUSED ACROSS OUR STATE. PLACES WITH SPEED CAMERAS ALREADY UP AND RUNNING WOULD HAVE TO REQUEST A PERMIT THROUGH THE DOT BY JULY FIRST. IF THE SYSTEM WAS IN PLACE BEFORE JANUARY 1ST OF 2024, IT CAN CONTINUE TO OPERATE AS LONG AS THE D.O.T. APPROVES THE PERMIT. BUT CAMERAS SET UP AFTER THE FIRST OF THIS YEAR WOULD HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL 2026 TO OPERATE THAT WOULD APPLY TO CITIES LIKE NEWTON AND GRINNELL, WHO ARE CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF SETTING UP SPEED CAMERAS. AND WE DID REACH OUT TO THE CITIES OF NEWTON AND GRINNELL FOR COMMENT, BUT THEY DID NOT WANT TO TALK TO US LIVE AT THE STATE HOUSE. OFELIA JACOBSON, KCCI EIGHT NEWS, IOWA’S NEWS LEADER. OKAY, OPHELIA, THANK YOU. AND THE FLOOR MANAGER OF THIS BILL SAYS HE’S CONFIDENT THAT THE SENATE WILL PASS IT AND THEN SEND IT

The Iowa House passed a bill Tuesday that would impose new regulations on speed cameras.The vote was 85 to 12 on HF 2681. It now heads to the Senate for lawmakers there to debate it. If passed, it would head to Gov. Kim Reynolds' desk to sign. The 2024 legislative session is scheduled to end in one week.Rep. Brian Best, of Glidden, said the goal of the piece of legislation is to make sure cameras are being used for safety and not for revenue."We don't want to be the state that people from Nebraska or Illinois drive through knowing that there's going to be a speed trap on every single community on I-80," Best, the floor manager of the House bill, said. The bill would require cities and counties to apply for a permit to the Department of Transportation to have speed cameras. Cameras wouldn't be able to issue a citation unless a vehicle is going at least ten miles an hour over the speed limit. Revenue from citations would have to be used for transportation infrastructure or to offset costs for police and fire. Rep. Sharon Steckman, of Mason City, said she didn't agree with that part of the bill."I would think if the city is using the ATE (automatic traffic enforcement), they should be the ones to decide what to do with that money," Steckman said. "I don't know why we're taking away local control.""If you're saying this is being done to promote safety, then why not put it in that area?" Best said, pushing back on that statement. Signs would also have to be posted near the cameras. Cities and counties with a population of less than 20,000 wouldn't be able to issue tickets using speed cameras. They could, however, use them to issue warnings."The longer we sit around and do nothing on this, the more we're seeing these systems being abused across our state," Rep. Phil Thompson, of Boone, said. Places with speed cameras already up and running would have to request a permit through the DOT by July 1. If the system was in place before Jan. 1, 2024, it can continue to operate as long as the DOT approves the permit. But cameras set up after the first of the year would have to wait until 2026 to operate.That would apply to cities like Newton and Grinnell, who are currently in the process of setting up speed cameras.» Download the free KCCI app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google PlayGet the latest headlines from KCCI

DES MOINES, Iowa —

The Iowa House passed a bill Tuesday that would impose new regulations on speed cameras.

The vote was 85 to 12 on HF 2681. It now heads to the Senate for lawmakers there to debate it. If passed, it would head to Gov. Kim Reynolds' desk to sign. The 2024 legislative session is scheduled to end in one week.

Rep. Brian Best, of Glidden, said the goal of the piece of legislation is to make sure cameras are being used for safety and not for revenue.

"We don't want to be the state that people from Nebraska or Illinois drive through knowing that there's going to be a speed trap on every single community on I-80," Best, the floor manager of the House bill, said.

The bill would require cities and counties to apply for a permit to the Department of Transportation to have speed cameras. Cameras wouldn't be able to issue a citation unless a vehicle is going at least ten miles an hour over the speed limit. Revenue from citations would have to be used for transportation infrastructure or to offset costs for police and fire.

Rep. Sharon Steckman, of Mason City, said she didn't agree with that part of the bill.

"I would think if the city is using the ATE (automatic traffic enforcement), they should be the ones to decide what to do with that money," Steckman said. "I don't know why we're taking away local control."

"If you're saying this is being done to promote safety, then why not put it in that area?" Best said, pushing back on that statement.

Signs would also have to be posted near the cameras. Cities and counties with a population of less than 20,000 wouldn't be able to issue tickets using speed cameras. They could, however, use them to issue warnings.

"The longer we sit around and do nothing on this, the more we're seeing these systems being abused across our state," Rep. Phil Thompson, of Boone, said.

Places with speed cameras already up and running would have to request a permit through the DOT by July 1. If the system was in place before Jan. 1, 2024, it can continue to operate as long as the DOT approves the permit. But cameras set up after the first of the year would have to wait until 2026 to operate.

That would apply to cities like Newton and Grinnell, who are currently in the process of setting up speed cameras.

» Download the free KCCI app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play

Get the latest headlines from KCCI

Iowa House passes bill that would regulate use of speed cameras

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