A bill for an act relating to speed limits, including the speed limit in school districts and the penalty for speeding in excess of twenty miles per hour over the limit.(See HF 2496 .)

House

File

2023

-

Introduced

HOUSE

FILE

2023

BY

MEGGERS

A

BILL

FOR

An

Act

relating

to

speed

limits,

including

the

speed

limit

in

1

school

districts

and

the

penalty

for

speeding

in

excess

of

2

twenty

miles

per

hour

over

the

limit.

3

BE

IT

ENACTED

BY

THE

GENERAL

ASSEMBLY

OF

THE

STATE

OF

IOWA:

4

TLSB

5618YH

(3)

91

th/ns

H.F.

2023

Section

1.

Section

321.285,

subsection

2,

paragraph

a,

1

subparagraphs

(1)

and

(2),

Code

2026,

are

amended

to

read

as

2

follows:

3

(1)

Twenty

miles

per

hour

in

any

a

business

district

or

4

school

district

.

5

(2)

Twenty-five

miles

per

hour

in

any

a

residence

or

school

6

district.

7

Sec.

2.

Section

805.8A,

subsection

5,

paragraph

a,

8

subparagraph

(5),

Code

2026,

is

amended

to

read

as

follows:

9

(5)

One

Two

hundred

thirty-five

eighty-five

dollars

plus

10

five

dollars

for

each

mile

per

hour

of

excessive

speed

over

11

twenty

miles

per

hour

over

the

limit.

12

Sec.

3.

IMPLEMENTATION.

Notwithstanding

section

321.252,

13

321.255,

321.285,

or

any

other

provision

of

law

to

the

14

contrary,

when

updating

speed

limit

signs

as

a

result

of

the

15

enactment

of

this

Act,

a

county

or

city,

as

applicable,

may

16

attach

nonpermanent

overlays

or

stickers

approved

by

the

17

department

of

transportation

to

existing

speed

limit

signs

18

in

order

to

display

the

new

speed

limit.

The

nonpermanent

19

overlays

or

stickers

may

be

used

until

the

applicable

20

speed

limit

sign

is

replaced

based

on

the

county’s

or

21

city’s

respective

replacement

schedule

and

any

applicable

22

specifications

or

requirements.

23

EXPLANATION

24

The

inclusion

of

this

explanation

does

not

constitute

agreement

with

25

the

explanation’s

substance

by

the

members

of

the

general

assembly.

26

Under

current

law,

the

speed

limit

in

a

school

district

27

is

25

miles

per

hour

(MPH).

Each

school

district

must

be

28

marked

by

distinctive

signs

as

provided

by

the

current

manual

29

of

uniform

traffic

control

devices

adopted

by

the

department

30

of

transportation

and

placed

on

the

highway

at

the

limits

of

31

such

school

district.

For

purposes

of

Code

chapter

321

(motor

32

vehicles

and

law

of

the

road),

“school

district”

means

the

33

territory

contiguous

to

and

including

a

highway

for

a

distance

34

of

200

feet

in

either

direction

from

a

schoolhouse

in

a

city.

35

-1-

LSB

5618YH

(3)

91

th/ns

1/

2

H.F.

2023

This

bill

reduces

the

speed

limit

from

25

MPH

to

20

MPH

in

a

1

school

district.

2

Pursuant

to

current

law,

county

boards

of

supervisors

3

(Code

section

321.285(4))

and

city

councils

(Code

section

4

321.290(2))

are

authorized

to

determine

and

declare

a

reduced

5

speed

limit

that

is

reasonable

and

proper

on

secondary

roads

6

or

city

streets,

as

applicable,

based

on

an

engineering

and

7

traffic

investigation.

Such

speed

limit

becomes

effective

8

when

proper

and

appropriate

signs

giving

notice

of

the

speed

9

limit

are

erected.

The

bill

authorizes

a

county

or

city,

10

as

applicable,

when

updating

speed

limit

signs

as

a

result

11

of

the

bill,

to

attach

nonpermanent

overlays

or

stickers

12

approved

by

the

department

of

transportation

to

existing

13

speed

limit

signs

in

order

to

display

the

new

speed

limit.

14

The

nonpermanent

overlays

or

stickers

may

be

used

until

the

15

applicable

speed

limit

sign

is

replaced

based

on

the

county’s

16

or

city’s

respective

replacement

schedule

and

any

applicable

17

specifications

or

requirements.

18

Under

current

law,

a

person

who

operates

a

motor

vehicle

in

19

excess

of

a

speed

limit

under

Code

section

321.236(5,

11)

20

(public

parks

and

alleys),

Code

section

321.285

(speed

21

restrictions

generally),

Code

section

321.383(5)

(implements

of

22

husbandry),

Code

section

321O.5(1)

(personal

delivery

devices),

23

or

Code

section

461A.36

(state

parks

and

preserves),

commits

a

24

simple

misdemeanor

punishable

by

a

scheduled

fine

that

varies

25

depending

on

the

excessive

speed.

The

fine

ranges

from

$30

for

26

a

speed

in

excess

of

the

limit

by

not

more

than

5

MPH

to

$135

27

plus

$5

for

each

MPH

of

excessive

speed

over

20

MPH

over

the

28

limit.

The

bill

increases

the

scheduled

fine

for

excessive

29

speed

over

20

MPH

over

the

limit

to

$285

plus

$5

for

each

MPH

of

30

excessive

speed

over

20

MPH

over

the

limit.

31

-2-

LSB

5618YH

(3)

91

th/ns

2/

2