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The MD State House: Support House Bill 1044
  1. Signatures
    341 out of 500
    Petitioning
    1. The MD State House (+ 24 others)
      Petitioning
      close
      • The MD State House
      • Maryland General Assembly
      • House Environmental Matters Committee (Delegate McIntosh)
      • House Environmental Matters Committee (Delegate Malone)
      • House Environmental Matters Committee (Delegate Pam beidle)
      • House Environmental Matters Committee (Delegate Cane)
      • House Environmental Matters Committee (Delegate Carr)
      • House Environmental Matters Committee (Delegate Gilchrist)
      • House Environmental Matters Committee (Delegate Glenn)
      • House Environmental Matters Committee (Delegate Healey)
      • House Environmental Matters Committee (Delegate Hogan)
      • House Environmental Matters Committee (Delegate Holmes)
      • House Environmental Matters Committee (Delegate Jacobs)
      • House Environmental Matters Committee (Delegate Lafferty)
      • House Environmental Matters Committee (Delegate McMillan)
      • House Environmental Matters Committee (Delegate Niemann)
      • House Environmental Matters Committee (Delegate Norman)
      • House Environmental Matters Committee (Delegate O'Donnell)
      • House Environmental Matters Committee (Delegate Otto)
      • House Environmental Matters Committee (Delegate Robinson)
      • House Environmental Matters Committee (Delegate Stein)
      • House Environmental Matters Committee (Delegate Vitale)
      • House Environmental Matters Committee (Delegate Weir)
      • House Environmental Matters Committee (Delegate Wilson)
      • House Environmental Matters Committee (Delegate Frush)
  2. Created By
    Ronald Ely
    North Potomac, MD
About this Petition Petition Letter Petition Updates

We support House Bill 1044 http://mlis.state.md.us/2012rs/billfile/hb1044.htm
which would help protect the legal rights of Motorists and prevent innocent motorists from being punished.  We believe that such legislation is necessary to address serious due process issues with the state's speed camera law. 

Among the provisions of this bill:
    - Requiring the actual operator of a speed camera to appear at a hearing if requested by the defendant of a speed camera citation
    - Requiring that if speed camera images can be used to convict a defendant of a speed camera violation, the court must also permit a defendant to use such images in defense of a violation.
    - Ensure that speed cameras are certified by a testing laboratory OTHER THAN one affiliated with the manufacturer of the device, which is a severe conflict of interest.
    - Requiring that speed cameras meet national standards set by the IACP(International Association of Chiefs of Police) in order to ensure accuracy and reliability.
    - Ensuring that members of the public have a right to inspect speed camera calibration records, including the use of such information to prepare their defense in advance of a speed camera hearing.
    - Forbidding contractors who administer and process speed camera citations from being paid based on the number of tickets issued.

These provisions are extremely reasonable and are the minimum necessary to protect basic rights to due process, the presumption of innocence, and the right to confront an accuser.  Restricting such rights does nothing to benefit safety, it only serves to corrupt our justice system into a for-profit enterprise.  The Maryland legislature should not permit any photo enforcement systems unless the basic principals of America's constitution and system of justice are protected.

Why People Are Signing
Recent Signatures

Support House Bill 1044

Greetings,

Please Support House Bill 1044 to help repair the damage which Maryland's speed camera law has done to the legal rights of motorists and to the integrity of our justice system.

This is needed to protect the right to confront an accuser and the right of defendants to have a fair defense which includes access to evidence they need to prepare that defense. Conflicts of interest must be removed from the system, including banning contingent contracts for companies which administer speed camera programs, and forbidding speed camera companies from certifying their own equipment rather than meeting national standards for accuracy.

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Sincerely,

[Your name]

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