Senate passes hands-free device driving bill; Brainerd man scolds House members' no votes

Fox9's Theo Keith reports in Hands-free driving requirement clears Minnesota Senate, allows scarves, hijabs to hold phone:

Minnesota Senate voted overwhelmingly Monday to ban drivers from using cell phones except in hands-free mode, clearing a major roadblock that has held up the bill before.

The Senate’s 56-10 vote comes one week after the bill cruised to passage in the House. It clears the way for negotiations between the two chambers over their differing versions, which include whether to allow drivers to use headscarves to hold phones.

The hands-free bill got stuck in the Senate a year ago, and family members of distracted driving victims were thrilled that it cleared that hurdle this year. . .  .

Here's the Senate roll call:

Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, SD 9 and Carrie Ruud, SD10, voted for the bill. Two House members in their districts did not, and Chuck Nelson had something to say about that in the letters section of the Brainerd Dispatch.

In Shame on our representatives, Nelson writes:

By the overwhelming margin of 106-21, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed a "hands-free" cellphone bill. This common-sense action has been endorsed by law enforcement and has been proven to save lives and reduce accidents in the many states where it has already been enacted. Too many people have already died due to distracted driving.

But despite the overwhelming evidence that this move will make driving on our roads safer for all of us, two of our representatives—Josh Heintzman and John Poston—chose to vote against the measure. It doesn't matter which party they belong to, there is no justifiable reason for their votes, no matter how they try to spin it. They have chosen not to put the safety of all of us, and the wishes of the great majority of the people they are supposed to represent, before their politics.

One more person dying or injured due to distracted driving is too many. Shame on them for their vote and for thinking that it would not be noticed.

Here in South Dakota, we've simply stopped using our phone while driving after reading up on this issue and following committee testimony. Kudoes to state representative Frank Hornstein, DFL-Minneapolis, and senator Scott Newman, R-Hutchinson, for navigating these bills through the legislature.

Photo: Some distracted driving.

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Comments

[Kathi Malone]

We are deep in Red doo doo here with Josh Heintzeman. Thanks for putting this out there. K