House switches lanes on texting-driving ban

DES MOINES - Somewhat like a texting driver, the Iowa House seemed to be all over the road Monday en route to approving a hard ban on teenagers using any electronic communication or entertainment device while driving.

On a 55-41 vote, the House changed lanes on the Senate, which had banned writing, sending or reading text messages and e-mail.

House File 2456, as approved by the House, would put into state law a sanction the Iowa Department of Transportation can impose on teen drivers who have committed traffic offenses or had a traffic accident.

With the age-limited ban, the House veered away from the ban on texting that applied to all drivers it approved 64-31 two weeks ago.

“This is disingenu­ous,” Rep. Mary Gaskill, D-Ottumwa, said about exempting adult drivers from the ban. “It's totally wrong to do this.” But state law already differentiates between young drivers and adults, Rep. Rick Olson, D-Des Moines, said.

“We recognize that kids don't drive as well as adults,” he said. That's why they have restricted licenses, Olson added.

He called the passage of the original House bill to ban all drivers from texting a “feel-good law that is unenforceable.” Still, Rep. Dave Tjepkes, R-Gowrie, a retired Iowa State Patrol trooper, said the House “made a bad move.” The future of the bill is uncertain.

“Because the policy differences are so vast, the Senate will refuse to concur,” said Senate floor manager Sen. Jeff Danielson, D-Cedar Falls. In that case, the bill returns to the House. If the House insists - and Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, D-Des Moines, expects it will - the bill will go to a House-Senate conference committee. In that case, there will be a straight up-or-down vote on whatever version comes out of the committee.

As originally adopted by the House, HF. 2456 banned writing or sending a text message or e-mail while driving.

A driver would not be considered to be texting when using a global positioning system or a navigation system or inputting a telephone number to make a call.

The Senate accepted that, and then took the prohibition a step further by banning drivers from reading text messages and e-mails.

Although reading text messages while driving should not be encouraged, floor manager Rep. Curt Hanson, D-Fairfield, said Monday, “reading” was not in the House-passed bill for a good reason.

Truckers, transit drivers, emergency medical personnel and firefighters, for example, raised objections to the ban, he said.