The Texas Senate failed to muster enough votes May 12 to take up a bill that would have blocked all city governments in the state from using cameras to nab red-light runners. The bill sought to create a barrier for several cities in the state hoping to cash in on lawbreakers.

Supporters of the camera ban are still hoping they can prevail, but they’re running out of options.

In 2003, legislators rejected a bill giving cities authority to issue criminal citations to red-light runners caught on camera. But they approved a change to the transportation code that year allowing civil tickets.

A few months later, Garland, TX, set up its first cameras. The Dallas Morning News recently reported the city has taken in $600,000 from about 4,200 civil violations – a rough average of about $148 per violation – since it began its “SafeLight” program.

Texas cities including Houston, Dallas, Plano, Frisco, Irving and Lubbock all are strongly considering the installation of their own red-light cameras.

Sponsored by Rep. Gary Elkins, R-Houston, the bill would have again prohibited the issuance of tickets from red-light cameras.

The bill’s Senate sponsor, Mike Jackson, R-La Porte, said he would continue to try and bring the bill to the floor for a vote. Under Senate rules, the bill would require the support of two-thirds of the chamber’s members to be considered. The vote May 12 was 16-14 in favor of the ban.

“I’m still working on the votes,” Jackson told the Houston Chronicle. “We just hit a speed bump. Clearly a majority of the Senate is for the bill. We just don’t have two-thirds.”