The Wisconsin Assembly could cost the state as much as $16 million in federal funding by rejecting a bill that would have allowed police to pull over drivers for failure to wear a seat belt, the Portage Daily Register reported.

Assembly lawmakers voted 58-41 March 10 to refer the bill, AB90, back to committee, effectively killing the measure.

Rep. John Ainsworth, R-Shawano, the bill’s sponsor, tried unsuccessfully to amend the plan to draw support.

Under his proposed amendment, the law would have lapsed after two years if there were evidence of racial profiling or if the federal funding didn’t materialize. The amendment would have forbidden police from searching a vehicle or its occupants if a vehicle is pulled over solely for a seat-belt violation.

Current law permits police to issue seat-belt citations only if they stop drivers for another traffic violation. The bill also would have increased the fine for violators from $10 to $25.

Wisconsin could be eligible for federal funds if it passes a primary enforcement bill by Dec. 31, 2008, although the funding is not assured, the newspaper reported.