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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Boise

New version of texting-while-driving ban introduced in House Ways & Means

The House Ways & Means Committee holds a hastily called meeting on Friday morning to introduce a new version of a texting-while-driving ban. (Betsy Russell)
The House Ways & Means Committee holds a hastily called meeting on Friday morning to introduce a new version of a texting-while-driving ban. (Betsy Russell)

The House Ways & Means Committee just gathered for a hastily called meeting, and introduced a new version of the texting-while-driving bill that earlier passed the Senate and has been awaiting amendment in the House. The new version makes a first violation an infraction with a penalty of $50, and subsequent violations infractions with fines of $100. "It's not an arrestable offense any more," said Rep. Ken Roberts, R-Donnelly. The new version also adjusts a definition in a way Roberts said was intended to make clear that dialing a phone number doesn't constitute texting. However, Rep. James Ruchti, D-Pocatello, said some of the new wording appeared to conflict. After debating various fixes from punctuation to grammar, the committee's chair, Rep. Rich Wills, R-Glenns Ferry, noted that judges in all 44 counties will be interpreting the wording if it becomes law. "If it's not real clear, we'll be back here fixing it," he said.

Roberts then moved to introduce the new version as-is, and his motion carried on a party-line vote. Roberts said full hearings already have been held on the earlier bill, so no further hearings likely will be held on the new version.



Betsy Z. Russell
Betsy Z. Russell joined The Spokesman-Review in 1991. She currently is a reporter in the Boise Bureau covering Idaho state government and politics, and other news from Idaho's state capital.

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