Holsclaw to re-introduce ‘hands free’ bill in legislature

Published 9:43 am Tuesday, January 3, 2017

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Next week the Tennessee General Assembly will convene for its 2017 session, and one local lawmaker has some unfinished business he would like to complete.
During the 2016 session, State Rep. John Holsclaw Jr., who represents portions of Carter and Unicoi counties, introduced a bill to help eliminate distracted driving. Tennessee already has laws on the books banning texting while driving, but under Holsclaw’s bill talking on a cell phone while driving would be banned unless the driver is using the phone in hands-free mode.
“I’m going to try to bring my hands-free bill back,” Holsclaw told the Elizabethton Star on Monday. “I passed the House with it last year, but it didn’t make it through the Senate.”
According to Holsclaw, the annual legislative session ended before the Senate took up the bill, but he is hoping it will be different this time around. To bring the bill back to life, he will have to start the process again, first introducing the bill in the House of Representatives, where it will make its way through committees before being brought to the full House for a vote. After that, the bill will take a similar journey through the Senate.
“That’s the bad part. You do all that work and when it doesn’t pass you have to start all over again,” Holsclaw said.
However, Holsclaw is undaunted by the challenge of reviving the bill.
“That’s my baby and I’m going to push for it,” he said. “I think it’s a good bill and I think it will save lives.”
When he first introduced the bill, Holsclaw cited the number of traffic accidents which have been attributed to distracted driving resulting from the use of a cell phone.
In 2015 alone, 1,336 car crashes in Tennessee have been attributed to distracted driving due to cell phone usage, Holsclaw said.
“People’s lives have been taken because of cell phones,” Holsclaw told the Elizabethton Star when he first announced the bill. “I realized that cell phones are going to be worse than driving under the influence as far as the number of people killed in accidents.”
Under the current state law, adults can still hold their phones and drive at the same time, as long as they are not texting or emailing. However, law enforcement officials have said it is almost impossible to enforce the texting ban since adult drivers can still lawfully hold a cell phone while driving, Holsclaw said, adding he has received a lot of support for the bill from law enforcement officials.
Under Holsclaw’s proposal, a violation of the law would be punishable by up to a $50 fine. The citation would be considered a “nonmoving traffic violation,” which means that no points would be added to a driver’s record for the offense.
Holsclaw is currently examining ways to use the money collected under his proposed law to fund drivers education courses for high school students or possibly other drivers safety programs.
Holsclaw was first elected to serve in the State House of Representatives in 2014 and was re-elected in 2016. He said he is ready to begin his second term in office and take on his third session of the legislature.
“I feel comfortable going back into session,” Holsclaw said on Monday. “I know the process and the contacts. I feel like I have a better handle on it this time. I guess I’m not considered a ‘freshman’ any more.”
In the upcoming session, Holsclaw said he believes the state legislature will take on some controversial topics — most notably the issues of healthcare and a proposed increase to the state’s gasoline tax.
But whatever issues are brought up, Holsclaw said he is looking forward to another opportunity to serve his community in the legislature.

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