The conference committee on House Bill 1298 met to reconcile competing House and Senate proposals on speeding fines and driver-point penalties and agreed to compress a larger package into 10 prioritized changes while pursuing a study of the state's point system.

Senator Rummel, a Senate conferee, told the committee that the Senate reduced the original list of 29 issues to 10 "because of the magnitude of the violations that we're dealing with." He described the changes as targeted to offenses the conferees considered most important.

Senator Hogan proposed avoiding a purely legislative study and instead "make a directive to the Highway Patrol to do a comprehensive review of our entire point system," asking the agency to bring back a detailed plan and recommended changes for the committee to consider before the next session.

The committee discussed competing approaches to fine schedules. The Senate proposal presented by conferees would consolidate most speed zones into a single category for 25–65 mph and keep the existing $5-per-mile schedule for 70 mph and above. Committee members debated per-mile rates discussed in earlier drafts (figures mentioned included $3, $4 and $5 per mile in different ranges) and whether to preserve or eliminate the current doubling of fines in some jurisdictions. Senator Rummel explained the light-green proposal compressed lower bands so no fine would be less than $15 and left the 70+ schedule unchanged.

Representatives and senators described differing local feedback. Representative Dressler said she had "0 constituent complaints about our fines or our point system." By contrast, Senator Holden said speeding was among the top three issues raised during his door-to-door outreach: "The first issue people talked about was property tax. The second was school funding. And the third was speeding." Representative Morton said enforcement, not finer rates alone, was a central constituent concern: "I think this is my feeling, that it's an enforcement issue."

The committee also discussed a proposal that would add an extra fee in low-speed (25 mph or less) corridors — described in the draft as an "additional fee of $25" when exceeding the limit by a threshold in that zone — and whether to apply a separate school-zone or residential kicker to increase penalties in those locations. Committee members raised questions about defining "residential area" and how any kicker would be administratively enforced.

On points, members said the House had repeatedly amended point-related provisions this session and committee discussion identified several possible point increases for specific offenses, including distracted-driving and driving on closed roads during hazardous conditions. Some members warned against raising points too aggressively without a broader study: doing so can affect insurance reporting and have downstream consequences for drivers.

The committee indicated it would seek study language to authorize a Highway Patrol-led review, potentially in collaboration with local law enforcement, and discussed asking for a public report by August 2026 to allow committee members to review recommendations before the next session. No formal votes or final, adopted language were recorded in the transcript of this meeting; members said more drafting and negotiation was needed to settle the specific dollar and point amounts.

The conference committee adjourned after members agreed to continue working on compromise language and to pursue the proposed study directive and report timeline.