Drivers will no longer be able to text message, parents will be able to take time off of work to attend their children’s school meetings, and health care benefits will be extended for employees who were laid off — all due to a batch of bills that were signed into law by Gov. Bill Ritter yesterday.
Ritter signed 10 bills into law during a whirlwind trip that took him to Greeley and Fort Collins. Ritter has until Friday to take action on bills that came out of the 2009 legislative session.
“The governor’s focus this legislative session has been on creating jobs, helping businesses, creating new businesses and providing assistance and relief to families,” said Ritter spokesman Evan Dryer. “Many of the bills that the governor signed (yesterday) advanced those goals.”
Starting Dec. 1, drivers aged 18 and over will not be allowed to text message while driving. Under the new law, people under 18 will not be allowed to use a cell phone at all while driving.
Lawmakers amended the stricter version of HB 1094, which would have banned all use of cell phones for motorists, because it was bound to meet steep opposition in the Senate and was likely not to pass. Rep. Claire Levy, D-Boulder, the bill’s sponsor, said she would have preferred a sweeping ban on talking on a hand-held cell phone for all drivers, but added that the amended version of the bill was a step in the right direction.
“It is definitely better to have something than nothing,” she told the Denver Daily News. “It helps to raise the awareness of drivers that using their cell phone for any purpose is a hazard, and even though all we could get through was a ban on text messaging, I think that the debate has raised a lot of awareness about the safety issues associated with using your cell phone while driving.’
No comments:
Post a Comment