BOISE -- A bill that would make it illegal for Idaho drivers to send texts while motoring down the highway is winning support from some influential Republican leaders.
Assistant House Majority Leader Scott Bedke says he supports a bill that was introduced in a Senate committee last week. The measure would make texting while driving a misdemeanor and carry a fine up to $300 or 90 days in jail.
But the Oakley Republican told reporters at an Idaho Press Club event the penalties may be too harsh.
In the Senate, President Pro Tem Robert Geddes says he has mixed feelings about the bill. The Soda Springs Republican says he learned from personal experience the hazards of sending texts from behind the wheel when his car was hit by a texting driver. But he says constituents back home see the ban as another government infringement on personal freedom.
