AUSTIN, Texas (AP) _ If you talk or text on your cell phone while driving, the long arm of the Texas Legislature may be coming after you.
The Texas House Transportation Committee today heard from supporters and opponents of bills that would ban hand-held cell phone use while driving in certain situations.
Some of the proposals impose stiffer penalties for accidents while a driver is using a hand-held cell phone. Others ban hand-held cell phone usage by motorists in school zones.
A bill by Rep. Solomon Ortiz Jr. of Corpus Christi would ban anyone under 18 from using a wireless communications device while driving, unless it’s a hands-free phone or an emergency.
Ortiz says he’s especially trying to stop texting while driving — something many teenagers do.
Several of the proposals exempt hands-free devices.
Only six states and the District of Columbia have banned hand-held phones for drivers.