The speaker of the Iowa House hopes legislators can agree on new restrictions for traffic enforcement cameras that issue tickets for speeding and running red lights.
House Speaker Kraig Paulsen, a Republican from Hiawatha, says there are a number of different ideas that stop short of an outright ban, like limiting how large the fines can be.
“My hope is we can find some compromise position on them,” Paulsen says. “I don’t know exactly what that is, but I think with absolutely no oversight…years down the road it could become more about money than it is about safety and we need to make sure those (cameras) are about safety of Iowans and their vehicles.”
Last April the Iowa House passed a bill that would have banned traffic enforcement cameras, but it was not considered in the Iowa Senate. Senate Democratic Leader Mike Gronstal of Council Bluffs often says if you don’t want a ticket, don’t violate traffic laws.