Montgomery County delegation votes to send letter supporting HB 908 distracted‑driving camera pilot; privacy and scope questions raised

On Jan. 31, 2025, the Montgomery County House Delegation voted to send a letter of support for HB 908, a statewide bill proposing a three‑year pilot to allow distracted‑driving monitoring systems in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties.

Sponsor Delegate Foley said the pilot would be enabling (counties must opt in), include municipal input for camera placement, require data demonstrating need for specific camera locations, and use black‑and‑white blurred images with two photographs taken — one of the activity and one of the license plate. "It’s a 3‑year pilot," Foley said, and added that citations under the proposal would be $40, framed as a deterrent rather than heavy punishment.

Foley characterized distracted driving as a leading cause of traffic injuries and deaths and said county traffic enforcement is interested in testing the technology. He noted planned amendments to clarify municipal input, remove a reference to the state highway department, drop speed‑camera calibration language, and add language shielding images from routine public‑records requests.

Delegates raised technical and privacy questions during discussion. Delegate Collison asked how reviewers would distinguish innocuous gestures from phone use or other activity; Foley said images are reviewed by a human traffic‑enforcement reviewer before citations are issued and the photo area is focused around the steering wheel. Delegate Stewart raised a statutory question about an exemption for GPS use in the Transportation Article (transcript cited "Transportation Article 21‑11‑24.2"), asking whether such an exemption could be used to contest camera‑based citations; Foley said he would seek additional technical guidance. Delegate Solomon asked where images would be stored and what procurement options exist for vendors; Foley said the bill contains prescriptions about image handling and that additional committee work is expected.

After discussion and a procedural consultation with committee counsel, the delegation moved and seconded a motion to send a letter supporting HB 908 so the bill can receive a hearing in the standing committee. The motion carried with one recorded nay (Delegate Queen); other members were recorded as aye.

Votes at a glance: the delegation also moved several local bills out of committee. Notable committee actions on Jan. 31 included:

• MC 3‑25 — Economic Development Committee: Amendment added barbershops to businesses that may provide limited liquor service (sponsor and mover: Chair Foley; second: Vice Chair Williams). The amendment and bill as amended passed unanimously among those present.

• MC 11‑25 — Education, Elections, and Housing: Local rules for common‑ownership communities (sponsor: Delegate Spiegel). Committee amendments were adopted; the bill passed among those present.

• MC 9‑25 — Enabling ranked‑choice and approval voting: Moved out favorably as enabling legislation and passed among those present.

• MCPG 102‑25 and MCPG 106‑25 — Metro Washington Area Committee bills affecting WSSC contracting methods and Prince George’s County Board of Appeals membership: both reported unanimously from the committee and passed among those present.

The delegation noted that HB 908 will return for additional committee scrutiny and amendment in standing committee work; the support letter allows the bill to be scheduled for a hearing.