Georgia’s Two Paths: Phasing Out School Zone Speed Cameras or Expanding Them

Georgia lawmakers are debating two bills right now that offer radically different futures when it comes to automated surveillance in school zones.

One bill — HB 225 — would eventually ban the use of speed cameras in school zones.

The other — HB 651 — would expand them, empower prosecutors to collect from them, and tighten the screws on drivers across the state.

Though neither bill has been finalized into law, they paint starkly different visions of the role automated enforcement will play in public life. Only one of these bills takes even a modest step in the direction of civil liberties.

What’s At Stake?

Georgia’s automated traffic enforcement system currently allows private companies to install and operate speed cameras in school zones, issuing $75–$125 fines per violation based on license plate scans. These programs operate without in-person police, outside of courtrooms, and with little to no oversight of how the footage is stored, shared, or monetized.

These systems amount to automated surveillance and revenue collection, often in the name of “safety,” but with financial incentives misaligned with that goal.

HB 225: A Slow Sunset of Surveillance

HB 225 (as amended by the Senate) doesn’t end speed cameras overnight — but it would repeal the entire legal framework allowing them to exist by July 1, 2028, and it would prohibit new or renewed contracts starting in 2027.

That means:

• No more new speed camera contracts starting in two years.
• All existing ones expire by 2028.
• The corporate surveillance model in school zones would be phased out, not scaled up.

This is the only bill on the table that acknowledges the growing concern with automated enforcement and the cozy public-private partnerships behind it.

HB 651: Expanding the Surveillance State

By contrast, HB 651 goes in the opposite direction — codifying and expanding the use of automated traffic enforcement in school zones.

It would:

• Allow municipalities to tighten the time windows when drivers can be fined.
• Empower prosecutors to go after unpaid civil penalties in court.
• Refuse to renew vehicle registration if you don’t pay.
• Add new camera signage mandates, data-sharing rules, and Department of Transportation permitting processes.
• Prohibit late fees but allow registration holds and endless warnings.
• Still let private vendors collect from drivers, with only vague restrictions on how the money can be used.

HB 651 also increases enforcement reach without solving the real problems: lack of transparency, due process, or meaningful consent. It locks Georgia into a future where your commute is watched, recorded, and monetized — even when no human officer is present.

The Bigger Picture

Both bills accept that school zone speed cameras are controversial.

• HB 225 reflects an interest in phasing them out.
• HB 651 reflects an interest in institutionalizing them.

For communities focused on digital rights, privacy, and public accountability, HB 225 may represent a step — however slow — toward reducing reliance on automated surveillance. HB 651, on the other hand, points in the opposite direction: toward a more deeply embedded and bureaucratically protected enforcement model.

HB 225 isn’t perfect — it gives the system another few years to churn out tickets. But it represents a rare legislative acknowledgment that this surveillance model needs to go.

HB 651, on the other hand, is a wishlist from the surveillance industry.

Why It Matters

Automated systems like these represent a shift in how laws are enforced: from human discretion to algorithmic detection, from courtroom oversight to vendor-operated platforms. As these systems expand, they reshape the nature of civic life — especially when their operation happens without robust transparency or public debate.

As Georgia decides which path to take, it’s important to understand what’s being proposed — not just in terms of traffic enforcement, but in terms of the long-term relationship between people and surveillance technology in public space.

If you care about privacy, civil liberties, and the growing role of surveillance in everyday life, now is the time to get informed and engaged. Banish Big Brother is tracking these developments and working to educate the public about the expanding footprint of surveillance technology — from school zones to city streets.