ACTION REQUESTED:
Title
Communication from the City Manager and Interim Corporation Counsel with a Request to APPROVE a RESOLUTION Requesting State Legislators Sponsor an Amendment to the AUTOMATED TRAFFIC LAW ENFORCEMENT SYSTEM.
Body
BACKGROUND:
625 ILCS 5/11-208.6 authorizes the use of automated cameras ("red light cameras") to capture traffic violations. 625 ILCS 5/11-208.6(m) specifically restricts the operation of these camera systems to "Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, Madison, McHenry, St. Clair, and Will and to municipalities located within those counties." Other portions of the statute limit the ability to adopt red light camera violations by a local ordinance to those communities identified in 208.6.
Based on the legislative history of the statute it appears the only rationale for limiting the authority to those particular counties was that they expressed an interest in a red light camera system when the bill was being introduced and debated in 2006.
Section (m), which limits use to 8 counties was proposed as Amendment #3 to HB 4835 on March 1, 2006. It was immediately referred to the Rules committee the same day and the Rules Committee recommended passage of the Amendment on March 2, 2006. The next day, the House adopted the amendment. On March 3, 2006, the House had a short debate on the amendment before it was sent to the Senate (where it later passed). The short House debate on March 3, 2006 is contained in the Transcript of the 94th General Assembly, House of Representatives (pages 36-37). Speaker Madigan recognized Rep. Saviano, who stated:
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Members of the House. House Bill 4835 contains a couple different provisions. If you recall back the night before Thanksgiving last year there was a major train accident in my hometown of Elmwood Park where cars were struck on the tracks and, subsequently, we had 16 people get injured and thank God nobody got killed. And the underlying bill...language in this bill addresses the...
Click here for full text