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Senate committee deadlocks on bill to regulate and expand license‑plate readers
Summary
Delegate Doug Herring told the committee House Bill 27 24 would create statewide limits on automated license‑plate readers while law‑enforcement witnesses said the devices help find missing people and solve violent crimes; civil‑liberties groups warned the measure would authorize near‑mass surveillance. The committee voted 6–9 and the motion to report the bill failed.
Delegate Doug Herring, the House patron, told the Senate Courts of Justice Committee that House Bill 27 24 would set uniform limits on use, retention and sharing of automated license plate reader (ALPR) data and require permitting for placement on state rights‑of‑way. "This bill strikes a balance between protecting people, the public safety, and recognizing concerns for individual liberty and privacy," Herring said.
The bill would require agencies to obtain a permit from the Virginia Department of Transportation before installing an ALPR system on a state right‑of‑way, limit routine data retention to 30 days (later amended to 7 days in committee), require public policies and annual reporting on system use, and bar sharing data with…
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