3/7/05-A bill that would have made driver inattention a topic for a summer study has died.
HB1508 failed to come up for a vote on the House floor prior to the March 1 deadline for bills to pass from their originating chamber.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Vanessa Summers, D-Indianapolis, started out as a proposal that would have banned drivers from using hand-held phones while driving. A “hands-free” device would have still been permitted.
But the bill was weakened in committee by Chairwoman Cleo Duncan, R-Greensburg, who said she did not want to single out phone users unfairly.
Cell phones, she said, are simply part of a broader problem: distracted driving.

2/28/05-The House Roads and Transportation Committee approved a bill Feb. 21 on a 6-4 vote that makes driver inattention a topic for a summer study.
HB1508 started out as a proposal that would have banned drivers from using hand-held phones while driving. A “hands-free” device would have still been permitted.
But the bill was weakened in committee by Chairwoman Cleo Duncan, R-Greensburg, who said she did not want to single out phone users unfairly.
Cell phones, she said, are simply part of a broader problem: distracted driving.
Under the revised bill, distracted driving would be the topic of a proposed study.
The bill has been sent to the full House for consideration. For bill status, call (317) 232-9856.

2/15/05-The House Roads and Transportation Committee on Feb. 14 refused to vote on a bill that would require drivers to keep their hands off the phone, effectively killing the proposal.
Sponsored by Rep. Vanessa Summers, D-Indianapolis, the bill sought to ban hand-held cell phone use while driving. Talking on a phone equipped with a “hands-free” device would still be permitted.
Under HB1508, a driver caught using a hand-held phone could face a $25 fine. It would exempt emergency calls.
But the panel declined to vote on the bill, preventing it from going to the full House for consideration.
Rep. Cleo Duncan, R-Greensburg, the committee’s chairwoman, said she did not want to single out phone users unfairly. Cell phones, she said, are simply part of a broader problem: distracted driving.

1/26/05-A bill before the House Roads and Transportation Committee would require drivers to keep their hands off the phone.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Vanessa Summers, D-Indianapolis, would ban hand-held cell phone use while driving. Talking on a phone equipped with a “hands-free” device would still be permitted.
Under HB1508, a driver caught using a hand-held phone could face a $25 fine. It would exempt emergency calls.
For bill status, call (317) 232-9856.
A similar Senate bill – SB343 – is in the Senate Committee on Corrections, Criminal and Civil Matters.