A bill that would shift the burden for seeking a court date on a traffic ticket to the motorist who receives the citation has received preliminary approval after a misunderstanding over a suggested amendment was cleared up.
The Senate adopted an amendment by Sen. Robert Zirkin after he wiithdrew an earlier version that contained language that the bill's proponents took as an attempt to gut the bill.
Zirkin, a Baltimore County Democrat, insisted he supported the intent of the bill but but wanted to clarify the procedures that would be followed if a ticketed motorist didn't respond 15 days with a fine payment or request for trial. But police chiefs, who are seeking the bill in order to reduce the number of wasted hours their officers spend in court for trials at which defendants don't appear, objected to Zirkin's original language.
When he learned of the objections, Zirkin agreed that the original language of his amendment might have included drafting errors. The new version that he substituted passed muster with law enforcement and was adopted as a floor amendment.
Still to be determined is the fate of the bill in the House, where it is waiting for a vote in the Judiciary Committee. The legislation has the support of the O'Malley administration as well as top local governments and police chiefs from around the state.