Posted on 08/08/2003 1:30:31 PM PDT by Constitutionalist Conservative
Texas lawmakers ban driving and cell phones — a trusted friend or relative may have sent an e-mail about it, or perhaps it was a topic of conversation over Sunday dinner. Wherever the news came from, it is not true.
Through local media outlets and word of mouth, rumors of a law that would ban the use of hand-held cell phones while driving were everywhere, but state Rep. Roberto Gutierrez, D-McAllen confirmed that the bill was never passed into law.
“The bill didn’t even get a committee hearing,” Gutierrez said in a telephone interview from Austin. “It was just introduced but it didn’t go anywhere.”
House Bill 281, authored by state Rep. Paul Moreno, D-El Paso, was filed Dec. 11, 2002, and was ultimately left pending in committee March 3 after consideration in public hearing according to a bill history report.
The bill proposed to outlaw the use of cell phones while driving and suggested a $25 to $100 fine for violators.
For now, using a telephone while operating a motor vehicle is still permissible by law.
Gutierrez said legislation regarding cell phone use while driving isn’t a pressing issue at this time.
He reported “maybe one or two calls” to his office regarding this subject in the past year and no calls during the last session.
“The bill has been introduced two or three different times and it’s never made it through,” Gutierrez said. “What that shows is while there is some concern, overall the concern is not that great. It’s not to the point where we feel that we really need to move forward on this issue.
“But with more people using cell phones every day, who knows? Maybe in the future we will need to re-visit this.”
———
Rose Ybarra covers features and entertainments for The Monitor. She may be reached at (956) 683-4425.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.