HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1534        FILED ON: 1/16/2019

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3179

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Joseph F. Wagner and Paul J. Donato

_________________

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.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Date Added:

Joseph F. Wagner

8th Hampden

1/16/2019

Paul J. Donato

35th Middlesex

1/17/2019

John Barrett, III

1st Berkshire

1/18/2019

Carmine Lawrence Gentile

13th Middlesex

1/22/2019

Carole A. Fiola

6th Bristol

1/22/2019

Louis L. Kafka

8th Norfolk

1/23/2019

Brian W. Murray

10th Worcester

1/23/2019

Gerard J. Cassidy

9th Plymouth

1/23/2019

Maria Duaime Robinson

6th Middlesex

1/23/2019

Lori A. Ehrlich

8th Essex

1/23/2019

Michelle L. Ciccolo

15th Middlesex

1/24/2019

Richard M. Haggerty

30th Middlesex

1/24/2019

Jason M. Lewis

Fifth Middlesex

1/24/2019

David Paul Linsky

5th Middlesex

1/24/2019

Steven Ultrino

33rd Middlesex

1/24/2019

Mike Connolly

26th Middlesex

1/25/2019

Natalie M. Blais

1st Franklin

1/28/2019

Sean Garballey

23rd Middlesex

1/28/2019

Tommy Vitolo

15th Norfolk

1/28/2019

Elizabeth A. Malia

11th Suffolk

1/28/2019

John J. Mahoney

13th Worcester

1/28/2019

Tackey Chan

2nd Norfolk

1/28/2019

Mary S. Keefe

15th Worcester

1/28/2019

Carolyn C. Dykema

8th Middlesex

1/28/2019

Ruth B. Balser

12th Middlesex

1/28/2019

Daniel J. Ryan

2nd Suffolk

1/28/2019

James B. Eldridge

Middlesex and Worcester

1/29/2019

Jonathan Hecht

29th Middlesex

1/29/2019

Kenneth I. Gordon

21st Middlesex

1/29/2019

Patricia A. Haddad

5th Bristol

1/29/2019

David M. Rogers

24th Middlesex

1/29/2019

Adrian C. Madaro

1st Suffolk

1/29/2019

Jay D. Livingstone

8th Suffolk

1/29/2019

Daniel R. Cullinane

12th Suffolk

1/30/2019

Kay Khan

11th Middlesex

1/30/2019

Susan Williams Gifford

2nd Plymouth

1/30/2019

Patrick M. O'Connor

Plymouth and Norfolk

1/30/2019

Natalie M. Higgins

4th Worcester

1/30/2019

Bradford Hill

4th Essex

1/30/2019

Paul McMurtry

11th Norfolk

1/30/2019

Denise C. Garlick

13th Norfolk

1/30/2019

Josh S. Cutler

6th Plymouth

1/30/2019

John C. Velis

4th Hampden

1/30/2019

Brendan P. Crighton

Third Essex

1/31/2019

Liz Miranda

5th Suffolk

1/31/2019

Aaron Vega

5th Hampden

1/31/2019

Daniel R. Carey

2nd Hampshire

1/31/2019

Sarah K. Peake

4th Barnstable

1/31/2019

Michelle M. DuBois

10th Plymouth

1/31/2019

John H. Rogers

12th Norfolk

1/31/2019

Jack Patrick Lewis

7th Middlesex

1/31/2019

Hannah Kane

11th Worcester

1/31/2019

Ann-Margaret Ferrante

5th Essex

1/31/2019

Dylan A. Fernandes

Barnstable, Dukes and Nantucket

1/31/2019

Alice Hanlon Peisch

14th Norfolk

1/31/2019

Christine P. Barber

34th Middlesex

1/31/2019

Kate Hogan

3rd Middlesex

1/31/2019

Michael S. Day

31st Middlesex

1/31/2019

David Biele

4th Suffolk

2/1/2019

Joan B. Lovely

Second Essex

2/1/2019

Tami L. Gouveia

14th Middlesex

2/1/2019

Shawn Dooley

9th Norfolk

2/1/2019

Marjorie C. Decker

25th Middlesex

2/1/2019

Paul R. Feeney

Bristol and Norfolk

2/1/2019

Russell E. Holmes

6th Suffolk

2/1/2019

Thomas M. Stanley

9th Middlesex

2/1/2019

John J. Lawn, Jr.

10th Middlesex

2/1/2019

Jon Santiago

9th Suffolk

2/1/2019

Claire D. Cronin

11th Plymouth

2/1/2019

Paul Brodeur

32nd Middlesex

2/1/2019

Eric P. Lesser

First Hampden and Hampshire

2/1/2019

Paul W. Mark

2nd Berkshire

2/1/2019

Christina A. Minicucci

14th Essex

2/1/2019

David M. Nangle

17th Middlesex

2/1/2019

Daniel J. Hunt

13th Suffolk

2/1/2019

James K. Hawkins

2nd Bristol

2/1/2019

Paul F. Tucker

7th Essex

2/1/2019

Mathew J. Muratore

1st Plymouth

2/1/2019

James Arciero

2nd Middlesex

2/1/2019


HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1534        FILED ON: 1/16/2019

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3179

By Messrs. Wagner of Chicopee and Donato of Medford, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3179) of Joseph F. Wagner, Paul J. Donato and others relative to requiring the hands-free use of mobile telephones while driving.  Transportation.

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-First General Court
(2019-2020)

_______________

 

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 in the 2016 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, 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 striking out subsection (a) and inserting in place thereof the following subsection:-

(a) No operator of a motor vehicle shall use a mobile telephone, or any handheld device capable of accessing the internet, to compose, send or read an electronic message or to access a mobile application while operating a motor vehicle, except to perform a single tap or swipe to activate, deactivate or initiate hands free navigation. For the purposes of this section, an operator shall not be considered to be operating a motor vehicle if the vehicle is stationary and not located in a part of the public way intended for travel.

SECTION 3. Said section 13B of said chapter 90, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by inserting the following subsection:-

(a ½ ) An operator of a motor vehicle shall use a mobile telephone or mobile electronic device only if said telephone or device is being used as a hands-free mobile telephone. 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 were 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.