Senate committee approves amendment increasing points for 29 traffic violations, including distracted driving

The Senate Transportation Committee approved an amendment to Senate Bill 2243 that changes the state driver-point schedule by moving a set of 29 violations to three-point offenses, the committee's sponsor said.

Senator Rummel (sponsor of the amendment) told the committee the changes respond to enforcement priorities identified by the Highway Patrol and the driver's license division, and singled out distracted driving as "the number one issue for crashes" that previously carried no points. He described extensive work to extract the most serious offenses from a confusing section of Century Code and place them in a clearer, higher-point schedule.

Why it matters: The point schedule affects license suspensions, reporting to insurers and commercial driver requirements. Moving violations to three points both increases the chance an insurance company will see the violation and pushes repeat offenders toward suspension under the state's point system. Supporters argued the change targets behaviors that produce the most crashes; opponents warned that some increases — notably moving some 0-point offenses to three points — are too large a jump without more gradual steps.

What the amendment does Senator Rummel outlined that the amendment pulls specific provisions out of the existing Century Code sections and consolidates a set of more serious offenses (examples given in committee) into the three-point category. Examples noted in testimony and the sponsor's summary include: - Using a wireless communications device while driving (distracted driving). - Failure to maintain control of a vehicle because of distraction. - Driving the wrong way on a one-way street. - Passing where prohibited (head-on collision risk). - Open container violations (moving from two points to three points in the sponsor’s plan). - Failure to yield the right-of-way and disregarding stop signs. - Driving on closed roads in hazardous conditions (with emphasis on commercial vehicle behavior).

Opposition and committee concerns Several committee members said they supported increasing points for some offenses but opposed applying a uniform three-point increase to a broad list. Senator Cory stated she could not support the amendment because it grouped violations of differing severity into a single category. Senator Paulson said the jump from 0 to 3 points for some violations was "a pretty big jump" and suggested smaller steps might be better policy.

Sponsor and enforcement rationale Senator Rummel said the list was not his personal selection but a compilation of priorities from the Highway Patrol and the driver licensing division, and he emphasized the enforcement agencies’ requests about where crashes and citations are concentrated. Sergeant testimony and the sponsor’s account referenced significant vehicle losses by the Highway Patrol related to distracted driving.

Committee action and vote The committee voted to adopt the amendment and then to recommend a due pass on Senate Bill 2243 as amended. The final roll call recorded votes for the bill as amended: Senator Klein — Aye; Senator Paulson — No; Senator Romo — Aye; Chairman Clemens — Aye; Vice Chair Corey — No; Senator Hogan — Aye. The motion carried.

Clarifying details The sponsor said 29 items were moved to three points; the transcript lists multiple Century Code references and examples but not an itemized published list in the committee transcript. Senators asked for more time to consider and suggested revisiting the list before floor debate.

Provenance: - topicintro: discussion introducing the amendment and intent to adjust points (transcript around the sponsor’s opening remarks on the amendment). - topfinish: final roll call and motion to pass Senate Bill 2243 as amended.