A bill that would ban the use of speed cameras in school zones in Georgia cleared the House Tuesday and now heads to the Senate for consideration.
House Bill 225, sponsored by Representative Dale Washburn, was introduced earlier this year with a whopping 96 co-sponsors. The unmanned cameras have drawn the ire of Georgians and made headlines over their flawed calibration systems and the optics of policing for profit. In many communities, the cameras are generating tens of thousands of dollars in revenue every month. Opponents of the systems argue they do little to impact public safety since violation letters are mailed to the owner of a vehicle 30 days after an alleged violation occurs. Additionally, the violations are tied to the vehicle registration, not the person who was driving the vehicle at the time of alleged violation.
But Wednesday’s vote brings the cameras one step closer to elimination in the peach state.The bill passed overwhelmingly with bipartisan support. Ultimately, 81 Republicans and 48 Democrats voted in favor of the measure.
Thirty-seven lawmakers cast votes in opposition. The list was diverse and crossed party lines. Members who voted NO include:
- Au, Michelle (D)
- Campbell, Lisa (D)
- Carson, John (R) – Chair of House Retirement Committee
- Carter, Doreen (D)
- Cooper, Sharon (R) – Chair of House Public & Community Health Committee
- Crawford, Omari (D)
- Dawson, Robert (D)
- Draper, Saira (D) – Minority Caucus Chief Deputy Whip
- Drenner, Karla (D)
- Ehrhart, Ginny (R) – Majority Caucus Secretary/Treasurer
- Erwin, Chris (R) – Chair of House Education Committee
- Evans, Stacey (D)
- Hitchens, Bill (R) – Former Colonel of Georgia State Patrol , Chair of Appropriations Public Safety Committee
- Holcomb, Scott (D)
- Holly, El-Mahdi (D)
- Howard, Jutt (R)
- Jackson, Derrick (D)
- Martinez, Reynoldo (D)
- McDonald III, Lauren (R) – Governor’s Floor Leader
- McQueen, Mekyah (D)
- Miller, Tanya (D) – Minority Caucus Chair
- Momtahan, Martin (R)
- Moore, Angela (D)
- Mules, L.C. (D)
- Oliver, Mary Margaret (D)
- Panitch, Esther (D)
- Paris, Miriam (D)
- Park, Sam (D) – Minority Caucus Whip
- Prince, Brian (D) – Chair of House Urbans Affairs Committee
- Roberts, Shea (D)
- Sainz, Steven (R) – Chair of House Interstate Cooperation Committee
- Silcox, Deborah (R)- Chair of House MARTOC Committee
- Smith, Vance (R)
- Tran, Long (D)
- Westbrook, Anne Allen (D)
- Williams, Mary Frances (D)
- Willis, Inga (D)
Representatives Park Cannon and Betsy Holland were present but did not cast a vote one way or another. Speaker Jon Burns also does not vote.
The bill now heads to the Senate where it must clear the committee, Rules, and Senate floor. If any changes are made, the House will have to vote on the measure again. The final day of the legislative session for 2025 is Friday, April 4.
The Senate will present considerable hurdles given that Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones is one of the largest campaign donation recipients from speed camera companies. The companies have funneled more than $588,000 to elected officials in Georgia since 2018. More on that here.
