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A legislative panel Wednesday again
delayed a vote on a bill to allow use of camera technology for
ticketing red-light violators.
The inactivity exasperates Virginia
Whitfield.
"I think it is a tragedy because we
so desperately need to stop the running of red lights in this
city. How many more people have to die?" said Whitfield,
an east Montgomery resident who supports the legislation
sponsored by Rep. David Grimes, R-Montgomery.
The bill was brought up in the House
Public Safety Committee chaired by Rep. Thad McClammy,
D-Montgomery. But under intense questioning from members about
unresolved constitutional items and other is sues, no vote was
taken Wednesday. The measure has been tabled twice.
"At this point, I believe it is
proba bly a political issue, and I think that is
inexcusable," Whitfield said.
Grimes also believes his bill has
become a political football.
"I've been saying it all along --
the Black Caucus is the problem here," Grimes said
after the committee meeting.
Caucus members Eric Major, D-Fairfield,
and Demetrius Newton, D-Birmingham, raised sharp objections to
the proposed legislation.
Before the legislative session started,
state Rep. Alvin Holmes, D-Montgomery, said the Legislative
Black Caucus would do whatever necessary to prevent the bill
from being passed, including a floor filibuster.
"I have not spoken with Alvin Holmes
or anyone in the Legislative Black Caucus at all on this
bill," Major said. His concern is a matter of due
process, he said, and supporters of the bill need to resolve
the problem.
"They're saying if the government
accuses you of doing the crime, the onus is on you to prove
you didn't run the red light. That goes against everything
this country was founded on," Major said.
"Technology doesn't negate someone's right to have a day
in court."
After a vehicle's tag number is
photographed during a red-light violation and an officer
reviews the photos to determine whether a violation occurred,
a ticket is mailed. Critics say the vehicle owner may not have
been the driver, while supporters say the same concept is used
in ticketing owners for parking violations involving their
vehicles. Major also said he is not satisfied the bill ensures
the camera equipment is not faulty or tampered with by law
enforcement agencies to increase the number of violations to
generate revenue. But Grimes said those and several
other concerns were addressed in revisions he made after
concerns were raised previously. "Every amendment, every
suggestion that was suggested, it was put into the bill,"
he said. McClammy said the bill will be on the committee's
calendar Wednesday. "We're going to give that bill an
up-or-down vote," he said. "They'll have plenty of
time to go over it, and we'll deal with it next week."
Neither Major nor Grimes believes chances are good for
passage of the measure. "I think the chances of passage
are slim to none due to the time we have remaining in the
session," Major said. There are bills already reported
out of committee that likely will not receive floor votes from
the entire House membership, he said. Grimes calculated
the chances for passage as "zero." "The looks
on the faces and the tenor of the meeting, they had no
intention of doing this . ... There are certain things that
I'm willing to die for, but this is not one of them."
Still, he believes significant strides have been made.
"This is the kind of bill that sometimes takes two or
three years to get through," Grimes said. But
Whitfield said she is not prepared to give up the fight.
"I have personally contacted my senator and my friends.
Everybody that I've talked to is totally for this bill.
Completely," she said. "I think it will take more
effort on the public to demand that it be passed,"
Whitfield said.
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