HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1420 FILED ON: 1/16/2019
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 3149
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The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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PRESENTED BY:
William M. Straus
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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act requiring the hands-free use of mobile telephones while driving.
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PETITION OF:
Name: | District/Address: | Date Added: |
William M. Straus | 10th Bristol | 1/16/2019 |
Mayor Martin J. Walsh | 1 City Hall Square Boston, MA | 1/16/2019 |
Carolyn C. Dykema | 8th Middlesex | 1/23/2019 |
Joseph W. McGonagle, Jr. | 28th Middlesex | 1/28/2019 |
Kenneth I. Gordon | 21st Middlesex | 1/29/2019 |
Daniel J. Ryan | 2nd Suffolk | 2/1/2019 |
Thomas P. Walsh | 12th Essex | 1/24/2019 |
Adrian C. Madaro | 1st Suffolk | 2/1/2019 |
Steven S. Howitt | 4th Bristol | 1/22/2019 |
Louis L. Kafka | 8th Norfolk | 1/23/2019 |
Carole A. Fiola | 6th Bristol | 1/22/2019 |
David Paul Linsky | 5th Middlesex | 1/25/2019 |
Michael F. Rush | Norfolk and Suffolk | 2/1/2019 |
Alice Hanlon Peisch | 14th Norfolk | 1/31/2019 |
Liz Miranda | 5th Suffolk | 2/1/2019 |
Daniel R. Cullinane | 12th Suffolk | 2/1/2019 |
Paul Brodeur | 32nd Middlesex | 2/1/2019 |
David Biele | 4th Suffolk | 2/1/2019 |
Denise C. Garlick | 13th Norfolk | 2/1/2019 |
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1420 FILED ON: 1/16/2019
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 3149
|
[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 3660 OF 2017-2018.]
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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In the One Hundred and Ninety-First General Court
(2019-2020)
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An Act requiring the hands-free use of mobile telephones while driving.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
SECTION 1. Section 13 of chapter 90 of the General Laws, as appearing the 2016 Official Edition, is hereby amended by deleting in line 6 the words “mobile telephone” and inserting in place thereof the following words:- hands-free mobile telephone.
SECTION 2. Section 13B of said chapter 90, as so appearing, is hereby amended by inserting the following subsection:-
(a ½ ) No operator of a motor vehicle shall use a mobile telephone or mobile electronic device: (i) for voice communications, unless said telephone or device is being used as a hands-free mobile telephone or to activate, deactivate, or initiate a feature or function; or (ii) to access social media or use any camera functions, including video calls. It shall be an affirmative defense for an operator under this section to produce evidence that the use of a mobile telephone that is the basis of the alleged violation was in the case of an emergency. For the purpose of this paragraph, an emergency shall mean that the operator needed to communicate with another to report any of the following: (1) that the vehicle or vessel was disabled; (2) that medical attention or assistance was required on the vehicle or vessel; (3) that police intervention, fire department or other emergency services was necessary for the personal safety of a passenger or to otherwise ensure the safety of the public; or (4) that a disabled vehicle or an accident was present on a roadway.