The Mississippi House of Representatives on Tuesday approved legislation that would outlaw the use of red light cameras on state roads. State Representative D. Stephen Holland (D-Plantersville) amended a must-pass transportation appropriations bill to outlaw attempts by cities such as Hattiesburg, Southaven, Starkville and Tupelo to move ahead with ticketing programs without any legislative authority. The amendment was adopted without opposition.

"It is the intention of the legislature that none of the funds appropriated under this act shall be used for the purchase or operation of, nor shall the Mississippi Department of Transportation use or permit the use of, automated recording equipment on or within the right-of-way of any roadway on the state highway system to enforce compliance with any traffic control signal," the House provision stated.

Over the past several months, the Mississippi Department of Transportation has done everything in its power to delay municipal attempts to install automated ticketing machines. If the transportation bill is adopted by the Senate and signed by the governor, Mississippi would join Alaska, Arkansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, Utah, West Virginia and Wisconsin in banning automated ticketing either through judicial or legislative action.

Article Excerpt:

Mississippi House of Representatives
2008 Session

AMENDMENT NO 1 TO House Bill No. 1589
BY: Representative Holland

AMEND by inserting the following after line 259:

"SECTION 27. It is the intention of the Legislature that none of the funds appropriated under this act shall be used for the purchase or operation of, nor shall the Mississippi Department of Transportation use or permit the use of, automated recording equipment on or within the right-of-way of any roadway on the state highway system to enforce compliance with any traffic control signal. For the purposes of this section, the term "automated recording equipment" means a camera or optical device installed to work in conjunction with a traffic control signal and designed to record images that depict the vehicle, the vehicle operator, the license plate of the vehicle and/or other images to establish evidence that the vehicle is not operated in compliance with instructions of the traffic control signal."

AMEND FURTHER by renumbering succeeding sections.