MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Two Senate bills about driving on public roads hit a road block in the House of Representatives on Tuesday night.
The House, after some drama, passed Sen. Josh Carnley’s, R-Ino, Senate Bill 341 to create a pilot program for speed enforcement cameras through work zones on interstate highways.
The program would include setting up cameras in certain areas along the highway to conduct speed checks and administer tickets.
The House previously killed the companion bill sponsored by Rep. Mike Kirkland, R-Scottsboro. The bill did not receive the two-thirds vote needed to pass the budget isolation resolution, which is required for each bill passed before the budgets.
During debate on the Senate version on Tuesday, Rep. Jim Hill, R-Odenville, introduced an amendment to downgrade the $250 fine for speeding to a written warning.
Kirkland moved to table the amendment but was overridden by a vote of 39 yeas to 53 nays. The amendment then passed by a margin of 51-47.
After more discussion, the House passed the bill with a vote of 82-16.
The Senate later voted not to concur with the House’s amendment. The bill now heads to a conference committee with lawmakers from both chambers.
Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-Rainsville, said he believes the bill will make it out of conference committee. He called speeders in work zones “a safety issue.”
“At the end of day, these men and women that work on the side of the road, work as police officers or highway workers, all they do is try to make a living,” Ledbetter said. They need to do it as safe as possible. If you’re in the electrical business, you wire the protective cover to make sure you stay safe, and we make sure they got everything they need to go home with their families at night. This is no different.”
The House also narrowly voted to kill a bill to allow Alabamians to operate off-road vehicles like four-wheelers and all-terrain vehicles on certain public roads.
Senate Bill 303, sponsored by Sen. Keith Kelley, R-Anniston, lays out requirements for the vehicles, including brakes, lights, seat belts and roll bars. It also sets up a system for registering and licensing the vehicles to be used on public roads.
Several lawmakers spoke on the floor about safety issues with the vehicles in general, especially because of their high speeds and minimal precautions for safety.
The bill failed by a vote of 43 yeas to 44 nays, with 11 abstentions.
The House will gavel in at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday. There are two days remaining in session.
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