A bill that would place a statewide ban on texting while driving in Texas has cleared the Texas Senate, KUT reports.
The measure outlasted a last-ditch effort by the Senate to substantially weaken the bill. It now moves forward in its original form, back to the House, where it’s expected to be approved again as no changes have been made. Then, the bill will head to the desk of Gov. Greg Abbott, where it will become law barring a veto by Abbott.
Larry Taylor, the State Senator who mounted the challenge in the upper chamber said he believed the bill doesn’t require enough evidence to issue a ticket for texting. He offered the examples of looking at navigational apps or searching a playlist as legal activities that might be mistaken for texting. But supporters of the bill said the changes Taylor suggested would make the bill unenforceable.