Texas House Passes Ban On Texting and Driving

The Texas House tentatively approved legislation on Wednesday that would outlaw texting while driving in Texas. According to the Texas Tribune, the House voted 113-32 to approve the legislation which must be approved one more time before heading to the Senate.

Rep. Tom Craddick of Midland authored the legislation which he has done in numerous previous sessions. The closest a ban came to becoming reality was in 2011 when both the House and the Senate passed a texting ban, but the legislation was vetoed by Governor Rick Perry. Perry and other Republicans since have argued that the legislation was micromanaging adult behavior. Opponents have also argued that it would be hard to enforce. Similar legislation passed in the House both in 2013 and 2015 but died in the Senate.

The Texas Tribune reports that language in the legislation stipulates that a police officer can not take and inspect your cell phone to check for text messages. The legislation also calls for offenders to be fined $25 to $99 with repeat offenders paying $100 to $200 dollars.

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