Conn. lawmaker proposes bill increase speed limit

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — There may be some relief for those who can't keep to the speed limit of 65 mph.

A state lawmaker from Hartford is pushing to increase Connecticut's maximum speed limit on state highways to 75 mph.

Rep. Minnie Gonzalez, a Democrat, has proposed a bill that increases the limit and also increases fines for speeding violations by 15 percent.

The General Assembly's Transportation Committee is scheduled to hear testimony on the proposal during a public hearing on Monday morning at the Legislative Office Building.

In 1998, Connecticut became the last state in the continental U.S. to increase the maximum speed limit on state highways from 55 mph to 65 mph.

At the time, critics of the speed limit increase warned it would lead to more fatal crashes. But advocates said the new limit was more realistic.