Referred to the Senate Transportation Committee on April 23, 2009
Reported in the Senate on December 9, 2009
With the recommendation that the substitute (S-1) be adopted and that the bill then pass.
Substitute offered in the Senate on December 17, 2009
To replace the previous version of the bill with one that establishes fines for the "driving while texting" offense proposed by Senate Bill 402.
The substitute passed by voice vote in the Senate on December 17, 2009
Amendment offered by Sen. Bruce Patterson R- on January 26, 2010
To make the proposed "driving-while-texting" offense a "primary" one, meaning that police could stop a motorist for just this. As substituted, the bill makes this a "secondary" offense only.
To impose a mandatory fine of $200 for a first offense and $500 for a subsequent offense for the "driving while texting" offense proposed by Senate Bill 402. No "points" would be entered on a person's driving record for a violation.
Received in the House on January 26, 2010
Referred to the House Transportation Committee on January 26, 2010
Reported in the House on March 18, 2010
With the recommendation that the substitute (H-1) be adopted and that the bill then pass.
Substitute offered in the House on April 20, 2010
The substitute passed by voice vote in the House on April 20, 2010
Amendment offered by Rep. Alma Smith D- on April 21, 2010
To place fine revenue from "texting while driving" violations into the state general fund rather than to local governments and libraries, but only if two of the (many) penalties imposed by the ”driver responsibility fees or “bad driver tax” law are repealed, the ones for having more than seven drivers license points and for driving without a valid license or endorsement. The $1,000 surtax for driving with a suspended license and the $400 or $1,000 one for driving without insurance would not be repealed, and reportedly these levies are much more common and/or account for much more of the revenue.
The amendment passed by voice vote in the House on April 21, 2010
To impose a mandatory fine of $100 for a first offense and $200 for a subsequent offense for the "texting while driving" offense proposed by Senate Bill 4394. No "points" would be entered on a person's driving record for a violation, and driver could be stopped for just this.
Received in the Senate on April 27, 2010
Amendment offered by Sen. Roger Kahn R- on April 27, 2010
To strip out the House provision earmarking the expected fine revenue to the state general fund rather than to libraries, which is where other traffic ticket goes. Note: Traffic fine revenue goes to libraries in part to reduce the incentive for law enforcement to issue tickets for revenue purposes rather than public safety. The House earmark was intended to allow limited repeal of some parts of that tax to allow limited repeal of some parts of the "bad driver" tax, revenue from which goes to the general fund.
The amendment passed by voice vote in the Senate on April 27, 2010
To send the bill back to the House without the House-passed earmark of texting-while-driving revenue to the general fund, which was intended to allow limited repeal of some parts of the "bad driver" tax.
To concur with the Senate-passed version of the bill, which does not contain the House-passed earmarking of "texting-while-driving" fines toward repealing some of the "bad driver" taxes.
Signed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm on April 30, 2010