Ban cell phones and driving? Bill filing begins in Missouri
Among the first bills filed today in Jefferson City: A bill that would ban the use of cell phones while driving in certain circumstances.
Today is the first day to pre-file bills in the Missouri Legislature. For some lawmakers, it’s their best chance at a headline. It’s also a good look into some of the issues that will be taking up the Legislature’s time come January.
The first two bills assigned a number (according to the Gov Watch site), are HB 26, filed by Republican Joe Smith of St. Charles, and HB 27, filed by Republican David Day of Dixon. Smith’s bill would prohibit cell phone use while operating a motor vehicle on public property, with some exceptions.
Day’s bill would allow veterans in Missouri to deduct their military retirement income from state income taxes.
While they haven’t been assigned bill numbers yet, three Columbia Democrats also announced their intention to file bills today. One, supported by freshman lawmakers Mary Still and Stephen Webber, would ban robo-calls, unless the call was preceded by a live operator who asks the recipient for consent. A similar bill was sponsored by Democrat Ed Wildberger last year.
Also, freshman Democrat Chris Kelly said he planned to file a bill allowing early voting in Missouri. Also, the Democrats said they would revive payday loan legislation that would limit interest rates on the loans.
I grew up in St. Louis, but have been living in Connecticut since 1986. In 2004, HB 5553 was passed by the CT General Assembly (GA) and signed into law by the governor. This CT law is similar to the one being proposed by Joe Smith to ban the use of cell phones while operating a motor vehicle. It took the sponsor of this bill, Rep. Dick Roy (D-119), 8 years to get it passed in the GA, even though his party (Democrats) have controlled the GA for 30+ years. First offense is a $75 fine, 2nd offense is a $150 fine and 3rd offense is a $250 fine. Now that the law has been on the books for 4 years, what have been the results of it? Well, this past Halloween, I had the good fortune to drive around the our town with a city police sergeant for a 3 hour tour. During that time, the sergeant must have made and received over a dozen cell phone calls while he was driving in his police car. I have seen state troopers talking on their cell phones while driving on I-95 and the Merritt Parkway. Bottom line: it is probably the most widely ignored law on the books in CT.