An unlikely coalition of conservatives and liberals banded together Thursday to slap down a proposal that would allow police to pull over and ticket unbelted motorists for no other reason.
The Minnesota House voted 72-62 to send the measure back for more negotiations with the Senate.
Opposition ranged from worries about government interference in personal decisions to concerns about racial profiling. The tougher seat belt measure has been in play for years at the Capitol but has yet to make it through the House. It cleared the Senate several times, most recently last year.
"We just can't keep pumping more and more people into the court system, and that's what this is going to do," said Rep. Tom Rukavina, one of the Iron Range Democrats who voted against taking up a larger transportation policy bill containing the seat belt provision.
"Click it or ticket? Forget it," said Rep. John Lesch, DFL-St. Paul.
The transportation policy bill would also increase restrictions on new teen drivers and ban text-messaging while driving. It came out of a House-Senate conference committee after several go-rounds with Gov. Tim Pawlenty's office. Pawlenty's position on the bill is unclear, although negotiators claimed they had made enough changes to win his approval.
The bill would turn failure to buckle up into a primary offense, meaning that law enforcement would have the authority to stop and cite unbelted drivers and passengers without first spotting another probable violation, as they must do now. Fines would be $25 for each unbelted person age 15 and up.
Sen. Steve Murphy, the bill's Senate sponsor, said he's considering options to keep the bill alive. He said he hopes the House will take an up-or-down vote on the bill itself.
"It's absolutely not dead," said Murphy, DFL-Red Wing.
House supporters said the bill would prevent 20 to 40 traffic deaths each year and boost Minnesota's already high rate of seat belt usage. Rep. Paul Thissen, DFL-Minneapolis, noted that the law already requires drivers to buckle up.
"It's the most effective and least expensive way to avoid tragedies on our highways," he said.
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