NOT SO SWEET: 16 Iowa House Republicans vote against banning ‘unconstitutional’ speed cameras

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The Iowa House of Representatives failed to pass an amendment Tuesday that would have prohibited speed cameras in the state. Republicans hold 64 Iowa House seats, yet couldn’t muster the 51 votes necessary to ban what Rep. John Wills called “unconstitutional speed traps.”

Wills, who introduced the amendment and led the effort to ban the speed cameras, said they violate the Fifth and Sixth Amendments to the United States Constitution. The cameras remove the right to face your accuser, he said.

Wills challenged the idea Americans can be found guilty of a crime when they were not even physically present at the scene of the crime.

“We don’t have to be found guilty just because our car was there,” he said. “Because our license plate was there. We can face our accuser. The person who (is) accusing us of a crime actually walks up to the door and hands us a ticket for speeding. Those are things our rights guarantee us.”

Democrat Representatives John Forbes, Sami Scheetz and Ken Croken spoke in opposition to banning speed cameras.

Sixteen House Republicans joined the Democrats in blocking the effort. Those 16 Republicans are:

*Michael Bergan
*Brian Best
*Jane Bloomingdale
*Jacob Bossman
*Jon Dunwell
*Martin Graber
*Chad Ingels
*Shannon Latham
*Brian Lohse
*Ann Meyer
*Gary Mohr
*Norlin Mommsen
*Matthew Rinker
*Dave Sieck
*Brent Siegrist
*Hans Wilz

According to the Legislative Services Agency, 25 cities and towns in Iowa operate an ATE system or systems as of January 2024. Those cities and towns are:

*Sioux City
*Cedar Rapids
*Davenport
*Muscatine
*Fort Dodge
*Council Bluffs
*Des Moines
*Waterloo
*Fayette
*West Union
*Le Claire
*Strawberry Point
*Hazleton
*Hudson
*Chester
*Buffalo
*Bellevue
*Miles
*Independence
*Oelwein
*Prairie City
*Webster City
*Marshalltown
*Marion
*Postville

In Fiscal Year 2023, here is how much certain cities collected from the cameras:

Author: The Iowa Standard