Contact: Jennifer Dillard, Legislative Aide
(614) 644-6002

COLUMBUS – State Rep. Nancy Garland (D-New Albany) today introduced legislation to finalize Ohio’s effort to ban texting while driving. House Bill 415, sponsored by Reps. Garland and Michael DeBose (D-Cleveland), marries the best concepts from previous texting bills introduced in the Ohio House and offers the most effective solution to keep the roads of Ohio safe.  

“This legislation presents the best solution to curbing this dangerous practice as a result of thorough analysis and input from interested parties,“ Rep. Garland said.  “Through this learning process, we have crafted legislation that ensures the safety of Ohio’s drivers.”

House Bill 415 addresses several key points not contained in previous legislation to enhance the impact of the bill.  The bill establishes a clear definition of texting to give law enforcement officers a straightforward method to determine and identify illegal activity.  The clarification also ensures uniformity in enforcing the law statewide.  In addition, the bill establishes a 6 month grace period to further educate drivers and to ease the transition.

Under the proposed legislation, texting while driving would be a primary offense allowing police officers to pull over a driver exhibiting the illegal behavior.  The penalty for driving while texting would be a minor misdemeanor and offenders would receive a fine of up to $150.  These measures bring the law in line with other traffic violations, such as the failure to wear a seatbelt.

The bill is expected to have upcoming hearings in the Ohio House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee.