A Democratic lawmaker who made her mark in the House opposing seat-belt bills is now in the Senate and just as passionate about the issue.
Sen. Morgan Carroll of Aurora on Wednesday ripped a proposal that would allow police to stop drivers solely for not buckling up.
“Why would we open the door to random police stops in the state of Colorado?” she said.
Under current law, drivers can be cited for seat-belt violations only if they are stopped for another offense, such as speeding. Senate Bill 296, which passed the Senate on an initial vote, would make seat-belt violations a primary offense. The fine would increase to $75 from $10.
Bill sponsor Sen. Betty Boyd, D-Lakewood, said she is worried that the federal government will start penalizing states that do not have the tougher laws in place.
But Carroll dismissed arguments that Colorado needs the $12 million the federal government is offering as an incentive to pass the law.
“I feel the pain on how broke we are,” she said. “We are desperate for money, but some things are not for sale . . . not for any price tag, not at any time.”
Carroll also said she fears the law would invite racial profiling.
“You can’t tell more often than not whether someone is wearing a seat belt,” she said. “Who do you think gets stopped more often?”
Sen. Bill Cadman, R-Colorado Springs, also ripped the bill. He said seat belts do save lives, which is why Colorado already requires drivers and passengers to buckle up.
“This bill is not about the seat-belt law,” Cadman said. “This bill is about coercion, bribery and extortion, which frankly are against the law unless it’s the federal government using those tactics to get states to comply with their goals for us.”
For a number of years, the legislature has debated whether to make seat-belt violations a primary offense, but the bills have never made it to the governor.
In 2006, Carroll blistered that year’s version of the bill in a speech that ended with huge applause from the House gallery. She said she was afraid the measure would lead to random police stops.
“That’s not my country, that’s not my state,” she said at the time. “Simply putting words in here saying, ‘Thou shall not racially profile’ doesn’t fix it.”
Lynn Bartels: 303-954-5327 or lbartels@denverpost.com
