BATON ROUGE — The House Transportation Committee voted 11-3 on Monday in favor of legislation that would require local municipal or parish governing authorities to post signs that warn drivers who are approaching mobile and fixed location speed cameras.

Senate Bill 154 by Sen. Troy Carter, D-New Orleans, was approved with amendments and heads to the full House for consideration.

The measure would require signs be posted no less than 250 feet and no more than 500 feet from a camera’s location.

Carter said he wants to maintain public safety, and posting the signs could lower the number of drivers who speed.

The Senate passed the measure with a 35-0 vote May 10. Reps. A.B. Franklin, D-Lake Charles, and John Guinn, R-Jennings, voted for the bill. Reps. Dorothy Sue Hill, D-Dry Creek, and Frank Howard, R-Many, opposed the bill.

Channel dredging

The committee also approved a bill that would create a program to address the deepening and maintenance issues for waterways at ports throughout the state.

S.B. 148 by Sen. Norby Chabert, R-Houma, would create the Waterway Dredging and Deepening Priority Program. All applications for funding would be submitted to the state Department of Transportation and Development’s office of multimodal commerce. 

The measure heads to the House floor for consideration. The Senate approved the bill 34-0 May 2.

Chabert’s said his bill would address the issues of maintaining and deepening waterways at ports throughout the state, including the Calcasieu Ship Channel.