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House debate on lowering school‑zone speed to 15 mph stalls; body recesses
Summary
Members debated amendments to HB22 (school-zone safety). Representative Nielsen proposed lowering the school-zone limit from 20 to 15 mph with adjusted fines; supporters cited safety and Arizona precedent, opponents raised signage costs and enforcement capacity. Debate was left unresolved when the House recessed until 2 p.m.
Representative Wadhams introduced House Bill 22 as a technical clean-up to the existing school-zone safety framework. Representative Reber proposed a narrowly focused amendment to require municipalities to notify the Department of Transportation about state-highway school-zone signage in need of maintenance; the House adopted that technical amendment.
Representative Nielsen then proposed a substantive amendment to lower the posted school-zone speed limit from 20 mph to 15 mph and to adjust the penalty schedule accordingly. Nielsen said he believed the change would "be a much, much safer school zone" and potentially save lives, noting that in practice a 15-mph limit tends to move drivers closer to 20 mph and improve overall safety. Supporters said other states, including Arizona, have 15-mph school zones and enforcement can succeed; opponents raised concerns about the cost of changing signage statewide, uncertain enforcement manpower, and whether enforcement of current limits should be improved instead.
The floor debated costs, enforcement feasibility and safety trade-offs. With extensive discussion still pending, Representative Stevens moved to recess; the House recessed until 2:00 p.m., leaving the Nielsen amendment and final action on HB22 for the afternoon session.
