Senators toughen cell phone legislation.Byline: David Steves The Register-Guard SALEM - Teenagers who are using a cell phone while driving could be pulled over - even if they're following all the other traffic laws - under a bill passed by a Senate panel Wednesday. The House-passed version of the bill allowed police to cite drivers younger than 18 for talking or communicating via text messages on a cell phone only as a "secondary offense" - meaning they would have to have been principally stopped for speeding, running a stop sign or some other traffic law violation. But the Senate Judiciary Committee The U.S. Senate established the Committee on the Judiciary on December 10, 1816, as one of the original 11 standing committees. It is also one of the most powerful committees in Congress; among its wide range of jurisdictions is investigation of federal judicial nominees and oversight of adopted an amendment pushed by the bill's author, Rep. Greg Macpherson This article is about the Canadian singer-songwriter. For the Oregon politician, see Greg Macpherson. Greg MacPherson (born 1973 in Sydney, Nova Scotia) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and is based out of Winnipeg, Manitoba. , D-Lake Oswego, that allows police to stop an otherwise law-abiding teen driver on a cell phone. The amendment also drops the violation from a Class B, with a fine up to $360, to a Class C, which would result in a $90 maximum fine. Macpherson said the idea was to maximize the incentive for new drivers to stay off their cell phones, which can be a dangerous distraction, without delivering too burdensome a penalty. He said he worries that young drivers who are overly confident in their multitasking multitasking Mode of computer operation in which the computer works on multiple tasks at the same time. A task is a computer program (or part of a program) that can be run as a separate entity. abilities will go ahead and read a text or chat on their cell phone while driving because they're convinced they'll be able to do so while obeying other traffic laws. But with the new version of the bill, that's less likely to occur if those drivers know they could be pulled over just for driving while using a cell phone. Macpherson initially had proposed legislation limiting cell phone use in nonemergency situations by drivers of all ages. But he said he was satisfied with the latest version. Not only would it help Oregon's newest drivers set aside the distracting dis·tract tr.v. dis·tract·ed, dis·tract·ing, dis·tracts 1. To cause to turn away from the original focus of attention or interest; divert. 2. To pull in conflicting emotional directions; unsettle. habit of using a cell phone - something many of them find as second nature since they've grown up with cell phones and text messaging Sending short messages to a smartphone, pager, PDA or other handheld device. Text messaging implies sending short messages generally no more than a couple of hundred characters in length. - but limit their potential danger to fellow motorists and passengers. "These are kids who are learning to drive," he said. "And they are heavy users of this technology. So it's improving the safety of our roadways." Lobbyists for the Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association and the American Civil Liberties Union American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), nonpartisan organization devoted to the preservation and extension of the basic rights set forth in the U.S. Constitution. of Oregon objected to the change. "I'm concerned that it will be a good excuse for profiling or pretext PRETEXT. The reasons assigned to justify an act, which have only the appearance of truth, and which are without foundation; or which if true are not the true reasons for such act. Vattel, liv. 3, c. 3, 32. stops," said Amy Elkanich of the lawyers association. She explained that police could pull over a vehicle driven by a young person on the pretext that he or she may have been using a cell phone, and then use it as an excuse to check into other things law enforcement wouldn't otherwise be able to, such as whether any of the passengers are gang members. Sen. Vicki Walker Vicki Walker (Born on May 29, 1956 in Monroe, Washington) is a politician from the U.S. state of Oregon and a member of the Democratic Party. She has been elected to political office in both houses of the Oregon Legislature. , D-Eugene, said the bill didn't introduce such an option. Oregon's "provisional" drivers license law for young drivers already lets police pull over young-looking motorists to see if they're violating restrictions such as carrying unrelated passengers in the first six months as as a licensed driver. Check out David Steves' Capitol Capitol, seat of the U.S. Congress Capitol, seat of the U.S. government at Washington, D.C. It is the city's dominating monument, built on an elevated site that was chosen by George Washington in consultation with Major Pierre L'Enfant. Notebook blog at www.registerguard.com/capnote. He can be reached at (503) 363-3451 or dsteves @guardnet.com. CELL PHONE LEGISLATION The bill: House Bill 2872 What it does: Bans drivers younger than 18 from using a cell phone while driving, except in specified emergency situations. Latest change: Makes it a primary violation, meaning police can stop an otherwise law-abiding driver if he or she is using a cell phone and appears to be under 18. Wednesday's action: Approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee Next steps: Must win full Senate approval and then the House's concurrence CONCURRENCE, French law. The equality of rights, or privilege which several persons-have over the same thing; as, for example, the right which two judgment creditors, Whose judgments were rendered at the same time, have to be paid out of the proceeds of real estate bound by them. Dict. de Jur. h.t. on Senate changes. More information: www.leg.state.or.us |
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