House Amendment 2
H 5146 - Session 125 (2023-2024)
Florence County automatic license plate readers

Rep. Lowe proposes the following amendment (LC-5146.WAB0002H):

Amend the joint resolution, as and if amended, by striking SECTION 1 and inserting:

SECTION 1. (A) The South Carolina Department of Transportation shall expeditiously and fully cooperate with Florence County and the City of Florence in facilitating the installation and use of automatic license plate readers funded by the General Assembly in the 2023-2024 Appropriations Act, or through local funds, at intersections of roadways maintained by the department anywhere in the county.
 (B) Florence County and the City of Florence are authorized and shall collect and maintain data from automated license plate readers referred to subsection (A) for a maximum of ninety days; provided, however, if the data is a part of an ongoing criminal investigation, the data may be retained until the final disposition of the case. For purposes of this joint resolution, an ongoing criminal investigation does not include investigations of minor traffic violations, and in no event may data collected from the readers be used to investigate or prosecute minor traffic violations.
 (C) Florence County and the City of Florence, or a vendor acting on behalf of either, may not use data collected and stored from automated license plate readers referred to in subsection (A) for commercial purposes.
 (D) Data collected or retained from a license plate reader referred to in subsection (A) is not subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act.
 (E) For purposes of this joint resolution:
  (1) "automated license plate reader" means a mobile or fixed automated high-speed camera used in combination with computer algorithms to convert images of license plates into computer-readable data; and
  (2) "minor traffic violations" include violations of Section 56-5-1520(G)(1), (2), or (3).