This bill establishes the Speed Enforcement and Awareness Fund, which will provide financial assistance to municipalities for the purchase of speed enforcement and awareness traffic equipment. The fund will be a nonlapsing account managed by the Department of Safety, which will develop an application process and criteria for evaluating grant requests. Municipalities can apply for grants to acquire speed detection devices, speed awareness equipment, and data collection tools, with priority given to those with a history of speed-related incidents or limited financial resources. Additionally, municipalities receiving funds must report on the use and impact of the grants within one year.

To fund this initiative, the bill amends RSA 106-L:10, IV, reducing the percentage of penalty assessments allocated to the state general fund from 66.66% to 58.33% and directing 8.33% to the newly established Speed Enforcement and Awareness Fund. This change is expected to decrease general fund revenue by approximately $250,000 annually while increasing the speed enforcement fund by the same amount. The bill also includes a new subparagraph in RSA 6:12, I(b) to account for the moneys deposited into the Speed Enforcement and Awareness Fund. The act will take effect 60 days after passage.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 106-L:10, 6:12