Bill to Ban Red Light Cameras Statewide Can't Get Past the Texas Legislature

A committee chair changed his mind about the consequences of a bill that would ban red light cameras in the entire state of Texas. The legislator didn't want, to paraphrase, blood on his hands.

1 minute read

April 10, 2019, 7:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Red Light Camera

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Lauren McGaughy reports that a bill that would ban red light cameras in Texas won't make it to the governor's desk any time soon, if ever.

"Rep. Terry Canales, the Edinburg Democrat who chairs the Texas House Committee on Transportation, said Monday he's put the brakes on the effort because of concerns that outlawing traffic cameras could result in an uptick in deadly crashes," writes McGaughy. "Canales' decision means the legislation is effectively dead unless he changes his mind."

Canales also said that voting the bill out of committee would be like "having blood on my own hands."

Republic State Representative Jonathan Stickland authored the law, which has the support of Governor Greg Abbott and 100 members of the state House of Representatives. Canales also signed on to support this bill in February, but changed his mind after hearing from law enforcement officers who support the technology.

Tuesday, April 9, 2019 in The Dallas Morning News

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