Traffic camera ban passes Senate; House lukewarm to proposal

DES MOINES - The light is yellow: state lawmakers on Tuesday approved a proposal to ban automated traffic cameras statewide, but the ban faces an uncertain future at the Iowa Capitol.

For at least the seventh consecutive year, opinions among lawmakers remain split over whether to add restrictions to the local governments' use of traffic cameras or to ban them outright.

That debate inside the Iowa Capitol continued Tuesday, when the Senate passed a traffic camera ban by a 30-19 vote.

But the House has its own traffic camera proposal, which would redirect to the state public safety department 60 percent of revenue generated by tickets issued on infractions recorded by traffic cameras.

Lawmakers said they will continue to work together to find common ground on one proposal. The legislative clock is ticking, as they face a key legislative deadline at the end of next week.

Generally, those who call for a ban say traffic cameras violate the spirit of due process --- an individual's constitutional right to face his or her accuser --- and allege the cameras are as much about generating revenue for the companies that make them and local governments that deploy them.

Supporters contend the cameras make roads safer by discouraging bad driving habits where they are deployed, often at dangerous intersections.

'I don't know that I can share a lot that's new on this front, other than I have serious concerns that Iowans aren't being protected,” said Jake Chapman, a Republican state senator from Adel who supported the ban.

Jarad Klein, a Republican state representative from Keota, said he will gauge support in the House for an outright ban, but his initial impression is there is not sufficient support to pass a ban in that chamber. Klein thinks senators may be amenable to a proposal that more closely resembles the House proposal to add some regulations and send a portion of the ticket revenue to the state.

'The idea is to get rid of those cameras that are the ones that are really there just to generate dollars,” said Klein, who added his personal preference is for the ban. 'If we can get that dark cloud of suspicion away from this and really have just cameras that are purely (for) safety issues, I think a whole lot of Iowans are a lot more comfortable (with that).”

If either proposal is to remain eligible for consideration, it must pass through a committee of the opposite chamber by the end of next week. In other words, the Senate proposal must pass a House committee, or vice versa.