Support for the bill was less than enthusiastic, with 10 of the chamber’s 51 members opposing it and 12 others supporting it "with reservations."

The bill now goes to the House Finance Committee. If it survives there, it would go to the House floor again for a final vote. If approved, it would then go to the Senate for consideration.

Advocates say the proposal is not a return to the hated and aborted state-run "van cam" system of having cameras in privately operated vans parked along the roadway to catch speeders.

The new proposal would affix cameras to poles along highways or at intersections to photograph speeders and stoplight runners. A citation would then be mailed to the address of the vehicle’s registered owner.

The van-cam system was criticized as an unconstitutional invasion of privacy that also was unfair because it did not take into account whether a vehicle’s registered owner was driving.

Supporters of the new measure included Rep. Kirk Caldwell, D-Manoa, who said the new system requires that the person photographed must also be the vehicle’s registered owner in order for a penalty to be assessed.