2025 Regular Session - Day 24 - HB 664, Rep. John Blanton

thank you Mr Speaker ladies and gentlemen of this body I promise this is my last one uh today U House Bill 664 M speaker would you ask the clerk to report house committee sub one on House Bill 664 clerk pleas report house committee substitute one to House Bill 664 gentem from mofen move adoption motion the adoption of house committee substitute one is there any discussion the committee substitute seeing none those in favor see by voting I those oppose nay house committee substitute one is adopted General from mov Mr Speaker few years ago a young man from mulen County by the name of Jared Lee Hilton grew up with my younger daughter was working in a work Zone when he was hit and killed and lost his life at too young of age and since that time I've set out after speaking with his parents to find a way that we can improve the safety in our work zones so that another family doesn't have to experience what Jared's family went through with that I reached out to the transport ation cabinet I said what can we do how can we make our work Zone safety are you all working on anything and they came back yeah we've been looking into these things uh technically they're called automated speed enforcement devices commonly referred to as uh speed cameras where they take a photograph mail a a citation I've been working on this now for four or five years I think Mr Speaker we finally reached something that people's going to like uh that people's going to uh uh be supportive of and that will provide safety in our work zones uh but will also provide the protection that people are looking for uh this bill would require Transportation uh or maybe I should say allow transportation cabinet uh to use the automated speed enforcement devices in work zones that they believe it would be necessary uh it would be camera installed that would take a photograph uh of the car going through uh and then would transmit that photograph in speed to a law enforcement officer sitting at the other end of that work Zone that officer then would make a traffic stop and if they chose to would issue a traffic citation just like they would on any other speeding violation in the Commonwealth no data is collected for from this it's sent directly to the officer there has to be an officer present if there's not an officer working that day then there's no citations issued uh there it requires signage that is lit that has lighting to say that these automated enforcement devices are in use that way that you know when you enter this work Zone they're there it also requires that there be at least one person working in that work Zone so if you're traveling through there on the weekends and nobody's working then it's not enforceable they're not even taking photograph uh and then um um I think that about covers it Mr Speaker seemed like there was something I should have took notes I guess instead of but I've been so passionate about this I'm shooting from the cuff today of of what this bill does I would be happy to answer any questions uh about this bill uh it's a good bill it's going to save life and I hope you will join me uh and I'll move uh pass if there's no questions Mr Speaker I'd move passage of House Bill 664 as amended by house committee sub one