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Senate panel backs bill to regulate automated license‑plate readers, with civil‑liberties concerns raised
Summary
Senate Bill 447, defining authorized uses, retention limits and oversight for automated license‑plate readers, was advanced from a subcommittee after law‑enforcement testimony about investigative successes and civil‑liberties testimony urging tighter limits on private‑property surveillance and vague language.
A Senate Judiciary subcommittee on April 27 voted to report Senate Bill 447 favorably to the full committee after hearing competing testimony about the investigatory benefits of automated license‑plate readers (ALPR or LPR) and concerns about privacy and overly broad language.
The bill, as described by a staff presenter, would define which public entities may use ALPR systems, make unauthorized use a criminal offense, and set rules for system operation. It would permit comparing plate data against NCIC and other law‑enforcement lists, allow use for parking regulation, access control, public‑safety purposes, property‑theft and organized‑retail‑crime investigations, tolling, and to aid DOT and DPS in traffic management. The bill would…
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