Michigan Senate Votes To Codify Red-Light Camera Ban

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The use of red-light cameras to issue traffic tickets would be banned in Michigan law under legislation that was approved Tuesday by the Senate and sent to the House for further consideration.

Neither the state nor municipalities have the automated cameras that have been deployed elsewher. In 2007, then-state Attorney General Mike Cox issued an opinion declaring them to be illegal except at railroad crossings.

The bill, which was passed 28-10, would codify the ban in case an attorney general took a different stance in the future.

"It's important Michigan bans the use of red-light cameras on our streets to not only help protect the lives of drivers and passengers, but also to protect their constitutional rights," the sponsor, Republican Sen. Lana Theis of Brighton, said in a statement. She called the cameras "unnecessary money grabs."

The measure does not apply to speed limit cameras.

Also Tuesday, the Senate unanimously sent Gov. Gretchen Whitmer legislation that would authorize flashing digital speed limit signs in highway construction zones when workers are present.

Sen. Mark Huizenga, a Walker Republican and sponsor of the bill, said it would improve safety by boosting the visibility of temporarily lower speed limits.