An Act To Authorize the Use of Traffic Surveillance Cameras To Prove and Enforce Violations of Overtaking and Passing School Buses
Maine Legislature, Session 125, LD 1124
Committee: Transportation
Sponsors: CEBRA, COLLINS, CRAY, CURTIS, FITTS, ROSEN, SARTY
Amends: 29-A MRSA §2117, 29-A MRSA §2117-A, 29-A MRSA §2602

Legislative Document 
No. 1124 
H.P. 836 
House of Representatives, March 15, 2011 
An Act To Authorize the Use of Traffic Surveillance Cameras To 
Prove and Enforce Violations of Overtaking and Passing School 
Buses 
Reference to the Committee on Transportation suggested and ordered printed. 
HEATHER J.R. PRIEST 
Clerk 
Presented by Representative CEBRA of Naples. 
Cosponsored by Senator COLLINS of York and 
Representatives: CRAY of Palmyra, CURTIS of Madison, FITTS of Pittsfield, ROSEN of 
Bucksport, SARTY of Denmark. 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  29-A MRSA §2117, last ¶, as enacted by PL 2009, c. 223, §1, is amended 
to read: 
This section does not apply to a photo-monitoring system, as defined by Title 23, 
section 1980, subsection 2-A, paragraph B, subparagraph 4, used by the Maine Turnpike 
Authority for toll enforcement purposes or to a traffic surveillance camera that is attached 
to a school bus used to enforce the provisions of section 2308. For purposes of this 
section, "school bus" has the same meaning as in section 2301, subsection 5. 
Sec. 2.  29-A MRSA §2117-A, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 2009, c. 605, §1, is 
amended to read: 
3.  Exception.  Subsection 2 does not apply to: 
A.  The Department of Transportation for the purposes of protecting public safety and 
transportation infrastructure; 
B.  The Department of Public Safety, Bureau of State Police for the purposes of 
commercial motor vehicle screening and inspection; and 
C.  Any state, county or municipal law enforcement agency when providing public 
safety, conducting criminal investigations and ensuring compliance with local, state 
and federal laws.  For purposes of this paragraph, an automated license plate 
recognition system may use only information entered by a law enforcement officer as 
defined by Title 17-A, section 2, subsection 17 and based on specific and articulable 
facts of a concern for safety, wrongdoing or a criminal investigation or pursuant to a 
civil order or records from the National Crime Information Center database or an 
official published law enforcement bulletin.; and 
D.  A municipality, law enforcement agency or school administrative unit using an 
automated license plate recognition system that is attached to a school bus in the 
enforcement of the provisions of section 2308. For purposes of this paragraph, 
"school bus" has the same meaning as in section 2301, subsection 5. 
An authorized user under this subsection of an automated license plate recognition system 
may use an automated license plate recognition system only for the official and legitimate 
purposes of the user's employer. 
Sec. 3.  29-A MRSA §2602, sub-§4, as amended by PL 2003, c. 498, §6 and 
affected by §12, is further amended to read: 
4.  Fines.  Except as otherwise provided in this Title, fines and forfeitures collected 
under this Title accrue to the General Fund, except that: 
A.    Six percent of fines and forfeitures collected for all traffic infractions, including 
fines and forfeitures collected for traffic infractions under section 561-A, accrues to 
the Law Enforcement Agency Reimbursement Fund established in Title 4, section 
173, subsection 4-B.  This paragraph does not apply to sections 525, 1767 and 2363; 
B.    Of the fines and forfeitures collected for traffic infractions under sections 511, 
2354, 2356, 2360, 2380, 2387 and 2388, 7% accrues to the General Fund, 6% accrues 
to the Law Enforcement Agency Reimbursement Fund and the balance accrues to the 
General Highway Fund; and 
C.    Of the fines and forfeitures collected for violations other than traffic infractions 
under sections 511, 2354, 2356, 2360, 2380, 2387 and 2388, only $5 or 13%, 
whichever is greater, accrues to the General Fund and the balance accrues to the 
Highway Fund.; and 
D.  A fine collected for a violation of section 2308 accrues to the municipality in 
which the violation occurred. 
SUMMARY 
The bill allows a municipality, law enforcement agency or school administrative unit 
to enforce violations of overtaking and passing a school bus through the use of traffic 
surveillance cameras and automated license plate recognition systems that are attached to 
a school bus, and requires a fine imposed for a violation of overtaking and passing a 
school bus to accrue to the municipality in which the violation occurred. 
This bill also makes technical corrections by removing references to the term 
"forfeitures" to reflect the current usage in the statutes of the term "fine."