May 18, 2013
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - If not for a last-minute amendment this year, West Virginia would likely have a partial ban on cell phone use while driving.
Kanawha County Delegate Nancy Peoples Guthrie says she doesn't plan to waste that momentum.
The Democrat says an interim committee is crafting a bill that will aim at banning texting outright for drivers while possibly restricting talking on cell phones.
Guthrie hopes that a proposal in Washington to make millions of dollars available to states that adopt such laws will help the legislation.
This year, Guthrie's bill passed the House by a wide margin but failed in the Senate on the final day of the session. An unrelated amendment was added to the bill, which effectively killed it as time expired.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
