Criminal and Driving Bills Still Alive in State Legislature

Posted Thursday, March 16, 2017 by Andrew Charles Huff

As the State Legislature progresses on, the following bills are still alive and kicking as work continued on in Olympia.

House Bill 1384 aims to protect victims of sexual assault by allowing courts to issue permanent protection orders. Currently, victims can only be granted a protection order for up to two years. The bill has passed both the House and Senate.

A few bills with the intent to reduce distracted driving in our state are still moving forward. House Bill 1371 and Senate Bill 5289 would re-write current law to make it illegal for a driver to hold a handheld device while on a roadway, including while stopped in traffic. Currently, it’s illegal to speak on a phone while holding it to your ear or texting while driving. Under the bill, drivers would be banned from holding any hand-held devices while driving including phones, tablets and other electronic devices, even while stopped in traffic. It would also double the fine, which is currently $136 if caught texting or holding a phone to the ear while driving for second and subsequent offenses within five years.

The new measure would allow the use of a finger to activate or deactivate a function of a device, such as using Siri on the iPhone, and the use of a built-in touch screen control panel within a vehicle to control basic functions like the radio or air conditioning.