Maryland General Assembly 2009

County not excluded from speed camera bill

By ERIN CUNNINGHAM
April 10, 2009
erinc@herald-mail.com

ANNAPOLIS — State lawmakers have lost in their attempt to exclude Washington County from a bill allowing speed cameras in school and work zones.

The House of Delegates voted 94-41 on Friday to approve the Senate’s version of the bill to crack down on speeders by imposing $40 fines.

The House defeated by a vote of 86-43 an amendment offered by Del. Christopher B. Shank to exclude Washington, Allegany and Garrett counties from the legislation. Shank, R-Washington, and Del. Richard B. Weldon Jr., who is unaffiliated and represents parts of Washington and Frederick counties, voted for the amendment. Del. John P. Donoghue, D-Washington, was opposed.

Under the speed cameras bill, cameras would be allowed within a half-mile of a work or school zone. Motorists would have to be driving at least 12 mph over the speed limit in order to be ticketed. The car’s owner would receive a fine, but no points on his or her license.

Montgomery County, Md., currently has a pilot program in place with speed camera enforcement.

The amendment offered Friday was drafted by Del. LeRoy E. Myers Jr., Allegany/Washington, but proposed by Shank, who offered a similar amendment in the past.

Donoghue spoke out against Shank’s amendment Friday, saying Hagerstown would benefit from the bill, and children and construction workers would be safer if the cameras were in place.

He said drivers who see someone has been pulled over often will speed up because they know the area is not being monitored by law enforcement.

“I want to protect my school children, and I want to protect my construction workers in those work zones,” Donoghue said.

Sen. Donald F. Munson, R-Washington, said Friday that Shank was “inconsistent” when he criticized Munson’s votes on speed cameras this year.

Munson voted in favor of speed cameras, causing Shank to say Munson did not have Washington County’s best interests at heart.

“(Shank) criticized me for voting for speed cameras by saying they were un-American,” Munson said.

On Friday, Munson said Shank’s criticism was “inconsistent” in light of Shank’s abstention in 2005 on a vote authorizing speed cameras in Montgomery County. At that time, Shank also voted to override Gov. Robert Ehrlich’s veto of the speed camera bill.

In response to Munson’s claim, Shank said his abstention on the speed camera bill was a “local courtesy” to members of the Montgomery County delegation, who supported the bill.

Shank said he later voted to override Ehrlich’s veto because of the Montgomery County delegation’s support of a bill affecting tip jars in Washington County.

Shank said his position on speed cameras has been consistent.

“The bill this year authorized speed cameras throughout the state, and right in our own back yard, and Sen. Munson voted for it, not once, not twice, but three times,” Shank said.