(Source: MIRS.news, Published 4/25/2023) The House passed on a package of bills expanding distracted driving legislation, clearing the board of Rep. Matt Koleszar (D-Plymouth)’s HB 4250 after it appeared that Democrats wouldn’t get the 56 votes they needed.
Koleszar’s bill would prohibit drivers from holding or using a mobile electronic device for any reason while operating a vehicle.
Though his bill was substituted in the House Transportation, Mobility and Infrastructure Committee to include an exemption for drivers who use a mount for their phone, and provided exemptions for emergency calls to 911, House Democratic spokesperson Joe Clark said there are some Democrats who had concerns about how the bill would be implemented.
During previous committee testimony, the Michigan Department of Civil Rights expressed concern that the bill could be used to target minority communities, which Clark said was addressed by other amendments to the package.
Those included a five-year sunset on the legislation, along with the inclusion of Rep. Mike Mueller (R-Linden)’s HB 4252, which creates a requirement that the Michigan State Police submit a report to the Governor and Legislature 42 months after the bill takes effect.
Other substitutions increased fines for first offenses from $100 to $200 and second offenses from $250 to $500, along with removing the 180-day enactment time previously established.
On the floor, Koleszar said the package would make Michigan the 26th hands-free state in the country, ultimately saving lives.
He said distracted driving legislation now only references texting while driving, and “we can do better.”
However, not all Democrats seemed convinced, and Reps. Joey Andrews (D-St. Joseph), Jaime Churches (D-Wyandotte), Betsy Coffia (D-Traverse City), Emily E. Dievendorf (D-Lansing), Kimberly Edwards (D-Eastpointe), Dylan Wegela (D-Garden City) and Jimmie Wilson JR. (D-Ypsilanti) voted no before the board was cleared.
Though the bill was reported with bipartisan support out of committee, only Republican Reps. Graham Filler (R-St. Johns), Mike Mueller (R-Linden), Pat Outman (R-Six Lakes) and Bradley Slagh (R-Zeeland) voted yes.
Reps. Ranjeev Puri (D-Canton) and Greg VanWoerkom (R-Norton Shores) had not voted yet, leaving Democrats with only 52 surefire votes on the bill.
The package was passed on for the day before Rep. Tyrone Carter (D-Detroit)’s HB 4251 to set up penalties for violation and Mueller's HB 4252could be voted on.
Clark said the pause on the package is all part of the process, and democracy can look messy at times.
He said conversations about the bills are ongoing, and added that Democrats are optimistic that the bills will reach the finish line.
