House Votes To Kill Seat Belt (Tax) Bill
The Massachusetts House voted 77-80 to kill the controversial seat belt bill today, which would have allowed “police to pull over drivers and cite them solely for not wearing seat belts.”
The Massachusetts House, in a dramatic reversal, voted Tuesday to kill a controversial seat belt bill.
By a 77-80 vote, House lawmakers voted against the bill allowing police to pull over drivers and cite them solely for not wearing seat belts.
Police can now cite drivers for not buckling up only if they pull them over for some other reason first.
The vote is an about-face for the House, which approved the bill on an earlier vote in January by a narrow 76-74 margin. The Senate backed the bill a wide margin after debating it last week.
Supporters of the so-called “primary seat belt” bill say it will save dozens of lives and spare hundreds from serious injuries. Opponents argue it will increase the power of the state and erode the civil rights of minority drivers.
This seat belt bill was basically a hidden tax, designed solely to increase revenue for the state. I’m glad to see it go.
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Matt Margolis is co-author (with Mark Noonan) of Caucus of Corruption: The Truth About The New Democratic Majority. He also blogs at The Buffalo Bean. Follow Matt on Twitter.
I am amazed!!! Is there hope of sanity in the bluest state?? I must thank those who voted this (Nanny) bill to defeat.
Lets see the roll call, bet we can guess how the vote went
Since forty year olds with out-of-state driver’s licenses can’t buy beer at the TD BankNorth Garder, the nanny state is far from crumbling. The seat belt law was flawed since its inception. The law should have been that insurance companies can deny ALL medical claims from injured drivers (and passengers)who failed to wear their seat belts. It would lower insurance rates and avoid this nonsensical debate on enforcement. Seat belts should only be mandated for children. This is a dangerous state to drive in. Half of the drivers yapping on their cell phones during rush hour, blue-haired octagenarians everywhere, and more than a few people like my neighbor who drives all over town with her dog on her lap.
Yes!!! Chalk one up for the sane folks. While I think you are a complete and utter moron if you don’t wear a seatbelt, it is not the government’s place to force you to. They shouldn’t bail you out after your healthcare coverage is exhausted either.
I feared this was going to be a non-winner for the LG in her race for the corner office. The not often great and general court gave her a present on this one.