Will Joe Pickett preserve red-light cameras?!?

"The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed,
A refuge in times of trouble."
Psalm 9:9

Interesting development in the Senate this morning:

Red-light cameras in Dallas and many other North Texas cities would be banned under legislation approved Monday by the Senate Transportation Committee.

The bill by Sen. Bob Hall, R-Canton, would explicitly outlaw future camera programs. And it would eventually stop cities that already have such cameras from using them, though some worried that it might allow cities to keep their red-light cameras for years longer.

The perennial debate over red-light cameras centers on a feature beloved by law enforcement and despised by many in the public.

A cavalcade of police officials – from Denton, Grand Prairie, Plano and elsewhere – said such cameras change driver behavior and reduce crashes. But others questioned the cameras’ actual safety impact and argued that they are just municipal revenue generators.

And though Hall and others acknowledged the law enforcement view, the committee voted 5-0 to send the bill to the full Senate.

....

And some Texas cities – Arlington could be next – have seen their residents vote to outlaw the cameras.

They’ve been “landslide victories of people saying, ‘Remove these cameras from our streets,” said Kelly Canon, an Arlington resident who’s helped push a May ballot proposition to ban the cameras in that city.

Not surprisingly, the bill faces a much more uncertain future in the Texas House; multiple sources told us Transportation Committee chairman (Democrat Straus Lieutenant) Joe Pickett has ZERO intention of moving the bill.

Meanwhile, a call to House transportation revealed that the committee is likely to hear a slew of red-light camera bills...in two weeks.

It's frequently said in the Texas Legislature that "delay equals death"; take from that what you will.

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Representative Joe Pickett: (512) 463-0596

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For the record: For Joe Straus to appoint a Democrat chairman of the transportation committee tells you everything you need to know about Joe Straus.