House debates tougher penalties for speeding in school zones; controversial amendments lead to bill being circled for revision

Representative Barnes introduced HB22, a proposal aimed at reducing school‑zone accidents by increasing fines and ordering repeat offenders to perform community service supervising school crossings.

The sponsor cited accident statistics — including 1,981 accidents near schools in 1992 with three fatalities — and argued penalties should match the potential severity of the offense. Representative Nielsen and others offered amendments that would raise fines substantially and suggested lowering school‑zone speed limits to 15 mph as an effective complementary measure; supporters cited experiences from other states where a combination of reduced limits and higher penalties decreased fatalities.

Debate turned contentious when members questioned enforceability and statutory consistency. Representative Valentine noted a technical contradiction: the proposed fine schedule would conflict with the statutory maximum for a class C misdemeanor and did not account for an existing 35% surcharge on fines, creating a legal mismatch that could render the amendment ineffective. Members suggested alternative drafting approaches (e.g., changing the misdemeanor classification or reworking the penalty schedule) and several substitute fine schedules were proposed from the floor.

Because of those technical problems and the level of disagreement, the House voted to circle HB22 (take it off the floor calendar temporarily) so sponsors and counsel could reconcile the penalty amounts and misdemeanor class language. The motion to circle carried and the bill was set aside for further drafting and work in committee before it returns to the floor.