This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Drivers could get a little more leeway when it comes to getting a parking ticket for license-plate infractions under a bill that passed the Senate on Thursday.
Sen. Daniel Thatcher, D-West Valley City, sponsored SB137, saying cities can only ticket drivers for license-plate violations that are in state law.
That means tickets couldn't be written if a registration sticker is in the wrong spot, as long as the registration is current.
Thatcher said cities — Salt Lake City, in particular — has been overly aggressive in ticketing for minor violations.
Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross, said he has been a "victim" of the city's heavy-handed enforcement and hopes the bill sends a message "that this will not be tolerated."
"To try to balance your municipal budget by really harassing and abusing visitors to your city is bad form," he said.
The measure passed the Senate unanimously and moves to the House for consideration.
Robert Gehrke