FIRST STATE POLITICS

Texting while driving? Fines could go up

Jonathan Starkey
The News Journal
Wilmington Police Patrolman Jeff Dickerson, seen here in 2011, cites a motorist for using a cell phone while driving.

First-time fines for using a cell phone or another electronic device while driving would rise to $75 under legislation passed Thursday in the Delaware state House of Representatives. Republican Rep. Joe Miro is behind the measure, which has just two co-sponsors. Repeat offenders face fines of up to $200.

The legislation now heads to the Senate for consideration.

Delaware law enforcement officers issued 19,500 citations last year to drivers caught texting or talking on cell phones without a hands-free device, up more than 48 percent from a year earlier. In 2013, Delaware also saw 149 cell-phone related crashes, according to the Office of Highway Safety. Fines for first-time offenders are currently $50.

RELATED: Distracted driving an issue in Delaware

State lawmakers continued work Thursday in the final month of the current legislative session. They will adjourn after a midnight session on June 30. The Senate worked through a short agenda on Thursday. Other measures under consideration in the state House would:

- Provide whistleblower protection for Delawareans reporting potential campaign finance violations;

- Institute new reforms to lower workers' compensation premiums paid by businesses;

- Consolidate county boards of election into one state board and give the Elections Commissioner more resources to investigate election law violations;

- And direct state agencies to study the potential of extending a natural gas pipeline into Kent and Sussex counties.

Contact Jonathan Starkey at 983-6756, on Twitter @jwstarkey or at jstarkey@delawareonline.com.