INDIANAPOLIS | Drivers in Indiana could not use handheld cell phones or texting devices under legislation endorsed by a state House committee on Tuesday.
The House Public Policy Committee approved the bill by Rep. Vanessa Summers, D-Indianapolis, on an 8-3 vote Tuesday and sent it to the full House for consideration. Summers has introduced similar bills for several years, but none of them has passed the General Assembly.
"This bill has a long, long, long, long road ahead because of people who don't think this is an important issue," Summers said after the vote. "I'm just very happy that they are starting to see that cell phone use while driving is dangerous."
The bill would allow drivers to use handheld cell phones or texting devices in emergencies, and emergency workers such as police and firefighters could use them while driving. Drivers who pull over and stop also could still use them, and restrictions would not apply to voice-activated systems.
A bill before the full Senate would ban drivers under age 18 from using handheld cell phones or communication devices, but Summers' bill does not include an age limit.
People who violate the restrictions would face a $25 fine for the first offense, $50 for a second one and $100 for each subsequent offense.
Republican Rep. Jackie Walorkski, who lives near Elkhart, was one of the three committee members who voted against the bill. She said it would hurt businesses at a time when the unemployment rate in the area she represents in northern Indiana tops 13 percent.
Rep. Matt Bell, R-Avilla, offered an amendment that also would have prohibited drivers from using handheld products such as MP3 players or navigational systems. He said they also caused distractions and their inclusion would make Summers' bill stronger.
But Summers said Bells' proposed amendment would weigh down her bill and hurt its chances of passing the Legislature. She said in previous sessions, "everything has been done to make this bill a joke."
Democratic Rep. Trent Van Haaften of Mount Vernon, the committee's chairman, was among those who voted down the amendment, saying the bill already was taking a big step.
