New Legislation in Maryland
A new bill introduced in the Maryland Senate aims to establish reciprocal agreements with other jurisdictions regarding speed and traffic camera violations.
If Senate Bill 173, along with its counterpart House Bill 249, is enacted, the head of the Motor Vehicle Administration would gain the authority to negotiate agreements for mutual enforcement of violations captured by traffic control signal monitoring systems and speed monitoring systems between Maryland and other jurisdictions.
Under such an agreement, a driver from another jurisdiction who fails to pay a speed or traffic camera violation incurred in Maryland could face difficulties when attempting to register or re-register their vehicle.
Similarly, if a Maryland driver neglects to address a violation committed in another jurisdiction, the Motor Vehicle Administration would be empowered to deny vehicle registration or re-registration for that individual if either bill becomes law.
The legislation was introduced at the request of Governor Wes Moore and the Maryland Department of Transportation due to an increase in unpaid violations from non-Marylanders. According to Joe McAndrew, Assistant Secretary for Project Development and Delivery at the Maryland Department of Transportation, “Since 2010, we’ve had 770,000 unpaid work zone speed enforcement citations. Sixty-three percent are attributed to out-of-state vehicles.”
D.C. Councilmember Charles Allen expressed support for the bill, stating that he welcomes enhanced collaboration across D.C., Maryland, and Virginia to hold reckless drivers accountable.
The issue of unpaid violations has prompted D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb to initiate multiple lawsuits against repeat offenders in an effort to recover outstanding fines.
A hearing for Senate Bill 173 is scheduled for Wednesday; however, no date has been set yet for its House counterpart. If either bill passes, it is expected that the new law will take effect on October 1.
