NE1: Return to Normalcy Act (Law)

[SWE]

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Sponsor: Representative dallasfan65

Debate on this bill will last for 72 hours, or until 2:44 on Sunday, September 7, unless modified or extended. The sponsor has 36 hours to advocate for this proposed legislation. If he does not, this bill will be tabled as there is other pending legislation in the queue.

[Talleyrand]

I'm all for civil liberties, but don't you think allowing the use of hand-held phones, laptops, cameras, or activities such as reading and drawing for a person who is simultaneously operating a car causes severe risk of injury or death?

Of course I certainly support the second clause here.

[Talleyrand]

No other comments on this?

[Simfan34]

As the sponsor of the The People's Defense Against Distracted Driving Act, I oppose this legislation.

[#CriminalizeSobriety]

No other comments on this?

Pending

[#CriminalizeSobriety]

I'm all for civil liberties, but don't you think allowing the use of hand-held phones, laptops, cameras, or activities such as reading and drawing for a person who is simultaneously operating a car causes severe risk of injury or death?

Of course I certainly support the second clause here.

Civil liberties are the motive behind this bill, but not for reasons that you (or others) might suspect.

I don't necessarily hold that one has the right to drive while doing distractful activities such as these. However, I'm concerned about the implications of this law's enforcement and the spirit of it, rather than the letter.

The lynchpin of this bill - as I'm sure we can all interpret - is texting while driving. I'm sure every member of this assembly has a resident busybody in their circles who prattles on about the dangers of "texting while driving." However, how does one enforce that? For instance:

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Hypothetically speaking this bill would prohibit people from looking at their phone to check the time or using an app. Seems reasonable, but again - how does one enforce that? Heavy-handedly, in some instances.

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citation

It's also worth noting that a court has recently ruled that police officers need warrants to search cellphones. What police officer in their right mind would go through such an exercise for a pedestrian offense which is punishable by community service, when they could devote more time to actual violent offenses such as murder and rape?

The spirit of the law seems well-intentioned. We're all aware of the old adage regarding good intentions, and in some cases laws such as these are actually dangerous.

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citation

For the rest of the bill - how does one enforce a prohibition on reading while driving, or grooming while driving? Seems like too much low-hanging fruit for police officers to pull people over.

[Talleyrand]

So the argument you are making is that a reasonable defensive driver would not read in the car or use electronic devices in the car, and that pulling over someone who does so might be akin to pulling over someone who is not looking at their rearview mirrors or sideview mirrors adequately?

[SWE]

The debating period is now over. Representatives will now vote on this bill as written:

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Voting on this bill will last for 48 hours or until all Representatives have voted.

[#CriminalizeSobriety]

Aye

[rpryor03]

Aye

[SWE]

Aye

[Sopranos Republican]

AYE

[free my dawg]

Aye

[SWE]

The voting period is now over. By a vote of 5-0-0, this bill goes to the governor for his signature or veto.

[SWE]

The governor has signed this bill into law.