Iowa is no longer one of the most lenient states when it comes to texting and driving.
Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds kicked off an event outside the Iowa Department of Public Safety this (Monday) morning. Governor Branstad was joined by legislators and public safety advocates who lobbied for two bills. One sets up a new monitoring program for repeat drunken drivers and toughens the penalty to a felony for drivers on their smart phones who kill others on the road.

The other bill will let police pull a vehicle over if they suspect the driver is using their smart phone for anything OTHER than navigation or to make a phone call. Branstad had recommended a “Hands Free” law that would have completely barred the use of a smart phone while driving.

At 10 a.m. this (Monday) morning, a two-hour-long hearing began at the statehouse to give the public a chance to speak out on the budget plans Republican legislators are poised to pass this week.

(Radio Iowa)