BISMARCK – The North Dakota State House found a way to try changing the interstate speed limit again from 75 miles per hour to 80 mph by adding the change as an amendment to a different bill which the Senate killed Tuesday.
Both the House and Senate passed House Bill 1475 which would have changed the interstates speed limits from 75 mph to 80 mph unless otherwise restricted. However, Gov. Doug Burgum vetoed the bill. The House did not override the veto.
Then the House added the speed limit change to Senate Bill 2168, which originally would have doubled the fine for individuals exceeding the posted speed limit by 21 mph or more. The Senate passed the bill in January.
Cities would have no longer been able to double speeding fines since the state would have been doing so. Sen. Dean Rummel, R-Dis. 37, Dickinson, said speeding fines have not been adjusted since 1983. Conference committee members voted unanimously to pass the amendment.
“Just because the speed limit is 80 doesn’t mean you have to drive 80,” said Sen. Cole Conley, R-Dis. 12, Jamestown. “You can drive a little slower than that if you’d like. So, I’m a green vote.”
“It seems to me this went through both chambers, the governor vetoed it, and it’s been interesting this second half as a lot of the issues we face here that we may not like are appearing back in some of these bills,” said Assistant Majority Leader Sen. Jerry Klein, R-Dis. 14, Fessenden. “This is just creating a precedent that we shouldn’t be following.”
SB2186 failed by a vote of 39 to 8.
