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March 10, 1999 1:39 PM, EST

Lt. Gov. Walter Bradley broke a tie vote in New Mexico’s Senate to revive a truck speed limit bill that the Judiciary Committee tried to kill.

The bill would lower the speed limit for trucks on Interstate highways from 75 mph to 65 mph.

ritics of the bill said it will punish good truckers for the recklessness of a small minority.

"We’re penalizing the union drivers who aren’t the problem, because the independents are going down the road like a bat out of hell," said Sen. Cisco McSorley, a member of the committee.

After the bill was voted down by the Judiciary Committee, its sponsor, Senate Minority Leader Skip Vernon, spearheaded the charge that led to its revival.

Another bill pending in the legislature would raise fines from $10 to $50 for motorists that use the left lane when not passing.

Originally, the bill would have applied only to truckers, but the Judiciary Committee amended the measure to include all drivers before sending it to the full Senate.