UPDATED: Speed cameras not dead yet
UPDATE 3: The 10 minutes expired, and Miller called a vote -- after E.J. Pipkin once again talked about Big Brother and unwarranted government intervention. The final vote was 27-20. Wow. What a turn of events.
UPDATE 2: The Senate just approved, at about 11:03 a.m., a cloture vote to limit debate on the speed camera bill, ending Mooney's filibuster. The vote got exactly the 29-person supermajority needed. Miller said the chamber needed to get to the budget; Mooney said he was "disappointed." So debate will end after 10 minutes.
UPDATE: The motion to reconsider the legislation has been overwhelmingly approved, and the Senate is again debating speed cameras. Several of the senators who voted yes for preliminary approval and no on the final plan voted "yes" to reconsider -- namely, Mike Miller, Bobby Zirkin and Ulysses Currie. So the debate is going on again, at 10:55 a.m., and Sen. Alex Mooney, a Republican, is waging a filibuster.
Aides to Senate leadership say that the speed camera legislation killed by a single vote Wednesday night is not quite dead yet.
Expect a procedural move to reconsider the vote this morning, aides tell The Baltimore Sun's Laura Smitherman.
A bill authorizing speed cameras within a half-mile radius of all schools, as well as highway work zones, appeared cleared for passage Tuesday, when it gained preliminary Senate approval. So Wednesday night's rejection was a complete surprise.
The legislation is a priority of Gov. Martin O'Malley's. It's likely that he is working behind the scenes to build support.
Comments
So, if the leftist legislooters do not get the vote they want, they change the rules or use some obscure seldom used "procedure" to get the vote they desire?
Do they make quid pro quo deals to a few vulnerable or naive legislooters?
Is this any way to run a state?
Can the pro 2nd amendment people in Annapolis use this very same procedure to move CCW bill out of Vallarios desk drawer? Or is the procedure just for the dems use?
Posted by: Fed Up | April 2, 2009 10:15 AM
Ah yes, bribes and favors.
Posted by: PhotoRadarScam | April 2, 2009 10:50 AM
Sorry, but speeding through school and construction zones does not amount to a freedom guaranteed by the Constitution. Cameras slow traffic to legal levels. Something should, and there can't be a cop on every corner. Sure, the cameras raise money for local governments. But outrageous speeding raises money for hospitals, doctors and funeral homes. Slow down! One way or another!
Posted by: Jim Nichols | April 2, 2009 11:00 AM
Sorry, but speeding through school and construction zones does not amount to a freedom guaranteed by the Constitution. Cameras slow traffic to legal levels. Something should, and there can't be a cop on every corner. Sure, the cameras raise money for local governments. But outrageous speeding raises money for hospitals, doctors and funeral homes. Slow down! One way or another!
Posted by: Jim Nichols | April 2, 2009 11:00 AM
Revunue enhancement by MOM and the Annapolis axis of evil!
Posted by: jay | April 2, 2009 11:02 AM
Don't Senate rules prohibit a reconsideration of a vote AFTER they have ADJOURNED? They adjourned last night.
Gov. O'Malley is dead set on passing speed cameras so that Marylanders have yet one more tax.
Posted by: Jake | April 2, 2009 11:04 AM
Jake,
According to the rule book a vote may be reconsidered within two legislative days.
----
Mook -- Thanks. You guys are good out there!
-- David
Posted by: mook | April 2, 2009 11:21 AM
Ah yes indeed. remember the good old days of the Ehrlich adminstration when the ex-gov would cower in fear behind a lock door lest he to take a position?
Posted by: Chum | April 2, 2009 12:38 PM
Yea Owe'Malley wants speed cameras. mo' money mo' money mo' money.. Tops on his agenda along with repealing the death penalty. All while record unemployment, recession and depression loom, the housing crisis, etc.. but these are his 2 top things to get done along with his special session to tax us even more. Oh yea.. great timing on the slots too. VOTE THEM ALL OUT!!!
Posted by: FEDup2 | April 2, 2009 1:39 PM
Chumm.. About Ehrlich.. Sure dude.. after trying to get slots in the state for 3 years and getting his veto overridden the most times in decades I guess he might have just said the he!! with it. Owe'Malley was against slots when it was Ehrlich's idea now he's for them. I at least Erhlich didn't flip-flop as much. Now slots are a disaster and our dear gov has his head so far up Obama its embarassing. No plan for the state, just ram through all you pet ideas and keep you hand out waiting for Obama to bail us out. That's a true governor. Owe'Malley is a bigger stooge than Glendenning..
Posted by: FEDup2 | April 2, 2009 1:54 PM