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Senate amends bill to limit penalties for minors using phones while driving, advances measure to House
Summary
Senate adopted an amendment to Senate Bill 113 removing license‑point penalties for minors using wireless phones while driving and passed the bill 19–8; sponsors cited safety statistics and limited exceptions for emergencies.
Senate Bill 113, which restricts wireless telephone use by young drivers, was amended on the floor to remove driver‑license point assessments and convert violations into citation offenses without point penalties. Sponsor Senator Romero said the change preserves the bill's public‑safety intent while avoiding consequences that could affect young drivers' privileges.
Debate focused on the age cutoff (18), the bill's origin as policy aimed at inexperienced drivers, and cited research presented in committee indicating that drivers using cell phones in the peer group studied were reportedly about six times more likely to be involved in an automobile crash. Senator Romero noted that exceptions for medical emergencies, reporting criminal activity, and public‑safety communications remain in the bill.
Senators discussed whether the age line of 18 is the right threshold and whether a separate bill should address adult drivers; some members said past proposals to ban adult use have not found majority support. After amendment and floor discussion, the measure passed on a roll‑call vote (19 yea, 8 nay, 2 absent) and will be forwarded to the House.
Next step: bill awaits House consideration; sponsors signaled readiness to provide committee statistics used in floor debate.
