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Home > Blogs > Ohio politics > Archives > 2009 > March > 18 > Entry
State Senate eases seat belt enforcement; talks with House next
The Republican-controlled state Senate put its stamp on the state transportation budget on Wednesday, March 18.
Two Democrats joined 20 Republicans in approving a budget that removes a provision giving police the authority to pull motorists over solely for failing to use their seat belts. Nine Democrats voted “no” on the budget.
The version passed earlier by the Democrat-controlled House gave police that authority which is in line with Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland’s wishes. Under current law, motorists can be cited for seat belt violations only if they’re pulled over for other offenses.
The Senate version of the budget authorizes $6.18 billion in spending for the transportation department, plus authority for various agencies to spend $2.2 billion in federal economic stimulus funds.
The House and Senate now are expected to form a conference committee to come up with a compromise budget.
The Senate version left intact Strickland’s plan to go after a share of at least $8 billion in federal passenger rail funding for service to Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus and Dayton. However, the Senate version would require the governor to seek authority from the legislature to spend any of the money the state gets.
The House version would allow the seven-member Controlling Board, controlled by Democrats, to release money for railroad spending.
The Senate also removed spending for the Public Safety Department, which includes the Highway Patrol, from the Transportation Budget. That spending should be part of the main operating budget, which still is before the legislature, the Republicans said.
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Comments
By Jim
March 19, 2009 10:37 AM | Link to this
This should be my bussness not the police!I could care less who wears a seatbelt or not!If you can ride a motorcycle with no helmet than why should I wear a seatbelt!!!By kurt
March 19, 2009 1:22 AM | Link to this
Hey Bob,it is morons like you that create moronic laws.You don’t have to play Washington’s game.Stand UP and don’t let them have the $$$ in the 1st place—it’s called states rights.It is also called GROW A BACKBONEBy kurt
March 19, 2009 1:18 AM | Link to this
It is about time—the state has no vested interest in my life.They carry no insurance on me.Passage of this law in the first place basically reinforced that government regards taxpayers as cash-cows.YES,I DO WEAR MINE—but that is MY option,not the statesBy britt
March 19, 2009 12:46 AM | Link to this
Ticketin for a sestbelt violation is a slap in the face of yoour civil rights. Unfortunately our kind police force has taken it a step way out of bounds. I happend to be looking at some of the county jail mugshots. I noticed a number of people jailed for the “misdomeanor of bnot wearing a seatbelt! Actually cuffed and thrown in jail for a seatbelt vilation! One day you read about plans to to home release nondangerous offenders to reduce both crowded conditions and budget deficets. Now they jail a teenage girl for noncompliance with a seatbelt law!. That is absolutely insane!By Frank
March 18, 2009 11:51 PM | Link to this
Yes, and the reason it’s a law? Well its not because of public safety, or because the public majority wanted this law in effect, but because it is a revenue builder both for local municipalities & law enforcement as well as the insurance industry who lobbied for it because it saves them MONEY! We as individuals should have the right to wear safety devices or not. The First Amendment has been getting walked all over because of your kind of thinking.By jon
March 18, 2009 9:59 PM | Link to this
Bob, I would have to respectfully disagree with you about weather wearing a seatbelt is breaking the law. Murder, rape, robbery, etc.. is breaking the law. Too many times I have seen local police depts. use the provision just so they could write a ticket. The seatbelt law is about money plain and simple. I dont appreciate how politicians/police spin these laws as a public saftey issue, if so motorcyclist would be required to wear helmets. I live in West Carrollton where I see more cars pulled over than anywhere else(no its not just because I live there)its because the city wants that money.They recently installed red light cameras spinning it as public saftey issue yet I cannot find one study that says they are overwhelming benefit.Once again its about money. I pay taxes to the police dept. to protect my home and community from threats and undesirable characters.So how does a fellow not wearing his seatbelt a threat to the community? All Im saying is quit using the police dept as an ATM for the city, so that way they have more time to fight against the real criminals. I would like to believe that we still live in the land of the free, but with laws of this nature it slowly erodes are freedoms and rights.By Bob
March 18, 2009 9:12 PM | Link to this
The state would have received $26.8 million from the federal government (hint, it’s really our own money being kindly returned to us), if it had approved the seatbelt measure. We shouldn’t prevent the police from stopping you and issuing you a ticket if they observe you breaking the law.By harry
March 18, 2009 8:25 PM | Link to this
bring that train station to riverside