Lawmakers rejected a bill in the Texas House allowing cities to rig cameras as a deterrent to red-light runners.

“I suspect this puppy is dead for a long, long time,” Rep. Phil King, R-Weatherford, told The Dallas Morning News after his proposal was voted down Monday, 103-34.

Opponents already had gutted the measure – HB901 – by adding an amendment allowing cameras only in cities with fewer than 50 people.

With new authority, a red-light running vehicle's license plate number would be captured on camera and a ticket forwarded to the registered owner. Under the bill, the fine would be $75.

Included in the bill is a provision that would give revenue from tickets to the Texas Mobility Fund for highways.

Opponents argued the bill's real purpose was to raise money for the cities, the newspaper reported. They also said that the cameras posed serious privacy issues and that those wrongly accused would be denied the right to a trial.