JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi lawmakers are still talking about banning drivers from sending text messages.
House members voted 91-27 Thursday to pass Senate Bill 2434. It would ban drivers from writing, sending or reading text messages on mobile phones.
The measure was amended and goes back to the Senate for more work. A similar House bill awaits Senate committee consideration.
House Transportation Committee Chairman Robert Johnson, a Natchez Democrat, says texting is a leading cause of severe wrecks. However, some House members questioned whether texting was any worse than any other kind of distracted driving, such as talking on a telephone, adjusting a radio, eating or putting on makeup.
Rep. Greg Haney, a Gulfport Republican, successfully amended the measure to cut the $100 civil fine to $25 in the law’s first year.
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