Howard County delegation backs speed-camera bill, directs excess revenue to school deferred maintenance

The Howard County House delegation voted to report HOCO 9-25 favorably with amendments on Feb. 3, 2025, advancing a bill that would authorize local jurisdictions in Howard County to install automated speed-monitoring cameras in additional locations and direct any remaining revenues, after program costs, toward deferred maintenance at Howard County Public Schools.

Delegate Ash Hill, who offered the amendment tied to school maintenance funding, described the core purpose and the amendment’s revenue direction. “The amendment that I've offered would direct any proceeds above the cost of the program to go towards a new fund ... for deferred maintenance of the school system,” Hill said during the meeting.

Why it matters: The bill expands where speed-camera systems may be deployed — to certain residential districts, to all of Route 1 within Howard County, to school zones with posted speed limits of at least 20 mph, and to highways identified as high-risk in the State’s most recent Strategic Highway Safety Plan or Vision Zero plan.…