DES MOINES — An Iowa House panel approved a measure Wednesday that would ban automated traffic cameras — including those in Cedar Rapids — and end what one legislator called “legalized grifting.”

Although House Study Bill 512 would void local ordinances authorizing the use of traffic cameras as of July 1 and order their removal in eight cities and one county where they are used, the legislation would not invalidate citations issued before that date.

That would allow Cedar Rapids, for instance, to continue trying to collect on citations issued before the cameras were turned off in 2017 while the Iowa Supreme Court debates the issue.

Just before Christmas, the city mailed out 221,000 notices seeking payment for $17.3 million worth of unpaid tickets, some from 2010 when the speed and red light cameras were first activated.

That helped convince some lawmakers the cameras were more about earning revenue than ensuring safety.

Read the full article on the Cedar Rapids Gazette website.