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Senate narrows photo‑radar use to school zones but passes substitute bill after heated debate
Summary
Senators debated House Bill 81 — imposing limits on automated photo radar — for several hours. An amendment to substitute a Senate version that restricts photo radar off state highways and permits local use in city/county jurisdictions passed; an amendment to further limit use failed, and the substitute bill passed, 16–12.
SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Senate spent a large portion of its Feb. 24 floor session debating House Bill 81, a measure that would regulate the use of automated photo radar systems for traffic enforcement.
Senator Marine (floor sponsor) and other supporters framed the substitute as a compromise that preserves the device’s use in school zones while restricting its use on state highways and preserving local decision-making for city and county roads. “This just goes further along that line of having it used only for safety and and not as a revenue source,” said Senator Moran during floor debate.
Opponents, including Senator Black and others, raised multiple concerns: the contract structures with private vendors that share revenue, potential for 'speed‑trap' abuses, burdens on courts if large numbers of citations are litigated, and the fairness of photo enforcement when photos do not clearly identify drivers. Senator Billingson highlighted the revenue-share problem: he said a portion of fines goes to equipment suppliers and warned that outsourcing enforcement created a profit motive.
Amendments were debated on implementation dates, restrictions to school zones, and whether points on driving records should apply to photo radar citations. One motion to amend (extending the effective date to 07/01/1992 to accommodate existing city contracts) passed. Another amendment aimed at stricter restrictions failed on a close vote (amendment failed 13–14 per the transcript). The substitute measure ultimately passed on final passage, recorded in the transcript as HB 81 receiving 16 ayes and 12 nays (1 absent), and will be returned to the House for further action.
Why it mattered: The debate centered on trade-offs between traffic safety in school areas and concerns about revenue-driven enforcement and private contractor profit incentives. Local governments, law-enforcement testimony and citizen complaints were all cited by senators on both sides of the question.
What happens next: The bill was passed by the Senate as substituted and will be transmitted back to the House for consideration of Senate amendments.
