The Louisiana House on Thursday passed legislation that sharply restricts where automated traffic‑camera citations may be issued and requires additional signage and timing rules for school‑zone enforcement.

Senate Bill 99, carried in the House as amended, narrows automated speed enforcement to school zones and sets enforcement windows largely tied to school hours. Representative Desotel, who spoke on the bill, argued for tighter controls on automated citations and noted concerns that cameras could be used mostly for revenue generation: “I don’t think we need a new reason to pull people over and give them traffic tickets,” he told the chamber.

Lawmakers adopted multiple floor amendments over several hours. Representative Mike Miller proposed an amendment to exempt his city (Opelousas) from the new restrictions so that the municipality could continue its existing program; Miller said the local program “is helping boost the morale and the safety of his police officers.” That local carve‑out survived a roll call and was briefly adopted after a close vote.

Representative Brett Boyer offered an amendment restoring longer school‑zone enforcement windows and clarifying signage — changes supporters said reflected committee negotiations with city and parish governments. Representative Miller’s amendment that sought a particular local exemption was debated, and a subsequent amendment from Representative Cox to expand coverage to parks and playgrounds failed on the floor.

After amendments, the clerk recorded final passage of the measure as amended, 72 yays and 23 nays. The bill as approved limits automated speed citations outside of school zones, requires visible signage where cameras operate, and clarifies an appeals process and protections for residents who say they were not driving the vehicle at the time of a mailed citation.

What changed on the floor

- Enforcement limited to school zones (two hours before school start and two hours after dismissal in the final posture) with local flexibility to set the two‑hour windows per parish.
- Required advance signage, with revised language to avoid unreadable black‑on‑black markers.
- A narrowly written local exemption for one municipality (Opelousas) survived floor votes.
- An amendment to treat parks/playgrounds like school zones failed.
- Red‑light cameras were left in place by separate committee action earlier and remained part of the bill’s scope.

Why it matters

The measure restricts the geographic and temporal use of automated enforcement to reduce widespread use of cameras for routine citation outside school zones — a key concern cited by opponents. Supporters argued the changes protect children and standardize notice and appeals for drivers; critics said some amendments carve out inconsistent rules across municipalities and may leave enforcement practices uneven.

Who spoke on the record

Representative Neil Desotel — government (floor remarks opposing broad camera use)
Representative Mike Miller — government (offered local exemption amendment)
Representative Brett Boyer — government (committee/amendment sponsor for signage and hours)
Representative Cox — government (failed amendment on parks/playgrounds)
Representative Jordan — government (questioning on reporting and enforcement details)

Authorities cited

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Actions

[{"kind":"other","identifiers":{"agenda_item_id":"SB99"},"motion":"Adopt multiple floor amendments (hours, signage, local carve‑outs) and pass as amended","mover":"Representative Desotel/Representative Boyer (amendments)","second":null,"vote_record":[],"tally":{"yes":72,"no":23,"abstain":0},"legal_threshold":{"met":true,"notes":"Majority vote for passage in House; changes to statute will go to Senate concurrence or conference as required."},"outcome":"approved","notes":"Amended bill narrows automated enforcement to school zones; includes local exemption for Opelousas."}]

Discussion vs. decision

Discussion: Lawmakers and mayors raised competing concerns — public safety for schoolchildren, local revenue incentives, and due‑process protections for drivers cited by mailed notice.
Direction: The House approved amendments to limit enforcement to school zones, require clearer signs, and allow parishes to set the exact two‑hour windows.
Decision: Final passage recorded 72–23; bill advances as amended.

Clarifying details

{"category":"enforcement_window","detail":"Final floor posture tied automated enforcement in school zones to a two‑hour morning and two‑hour afternoon window; parishes may designate the specific two‑hour periods.","value":"2","units":"hours","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Representative Boyer"},{"category":"local_exemption","detail":"An amendment adopted on the floor created a narrowly defined exemption for the city of Opelousas to continue existing local camera operations.","source_speaker":"Representative Miller"}]

Proper names

[{"name":"House of Representatives","type":"other"},{"name":"Opelousas","type":"location"},{"name":"Department of Revenue","type":"agency"}]

Provenance

[{"block_id":"6685.425","local_start":0,"local_end":52,"evidence_excerpt":"Members, this is, it's pretty much a clean up bill from from last, session where we passed, some restrictions on the use of the, the cameras, to issue tickets.","reason_code":"topicintro"},{"block_id":"11354.189","local_start":0,"local_end":64,"evidence_excerpt":"72 yays, 23 nays, and the bill finally passes.","reason_code":"topicfinish"}]

searchable_tags:["traffic_cameras","school_zone_safety","automated_enforcement","local_government"]