Committee reports Bill 575 to allow municipal automated enforcement in school and construction zones

Representative Hope Jones opened debate on Bill 575, saying the measure “has to do with school zone safety as well as construction safety,” and committee members spent the hearing outlining how municipal use of automated enforcement would operate and how fines and appeals would be handled.

The bill is permissive: municipalities would be allowed — but not required — to adopt automated enforcement systems for school and construction zones, presenters and committee members said. A presenter summarized the local-choice nature of the bill, saying, “This is all permissive.”

Proponents and staff described several key features of how enforcement would work under the proposal. According to the discussion, an automated detection system would be tied to a law-enforcement officer’s device and would require verification by an officer before a civil citation is issued. “This is only a law enforcement. It’s not a toll camera. It’s not a red light camera. It’s not a speed camera,” a presenter said, describing the intended officer verification and data-handling process.

Committee members…