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NOW. IOWA’S HANDS FREE DRIVING LAW, OR BILL IS NOW LAW. THE GOVERNOR SIGNED IT TODAY. ����vlog SENIOR REPORTER TODD MAGEL IS LIVE ON I-235 IN DES MOINES. AND TODD. OFFICIALS SAY THIS BILL IS DESIGNED TO SAVE LIVES. THAT’S RIGHT. YOU KNOW, THIS BILL IS ONE OF THE GOVERNOR’S PRIORITIES FOR ONE IOWA FAMILY, THOUGH, WHO WAS HAS LOST A LOVED ONE TO DISTRACTED DRIVING. THIS IS THE DAY THEY’VE BEEN WAITING FOR FOR A LONG TIME. SHE’S DOING GOOD. OKAY. IT’S THE LAW. WITH THE STROKE OF A PEN, GOVERNOR REYNOLDS MADE IT OFFICIAL. 30 STATES ACROSS THE COUNTRY HAVE PASSED HANDS FREE LEGISLATION. AND TODAY, IOWA BECOMES THE 31ST. AND I’M GRATEFUL BECAUSE THIS LEGISLATION WILL SAVE LIVES. THE NEW LAW PROHIBITS DRIVERS FROM USING CELL PHONES OR ELECTRONIC DEVICES WHILE DRIVING, EXCEPT IN HANDS-FREE OR VOICE ACTIVATED MODE. IOWA FAMILIES WHO’VE LOST LOVED ONES TO DISTRACTED DRIVERS GATHERED FOR THE SIGNING CEREMONY. KRISTI CARSTENSEN LOST HER HUSBAND, DAVE AND MOTHER IN LAW VELMA AFTER A CRASH A DECADE AGO IN DAYTON. THIS YEAR, WHEN WE GOT THE PHONE CALL, I WAS SPEECHLESS. I MEAN, I WAS JUST SO ELATED AND HAPPY AND IT’S JUST I KNOW DAVE IS SMILING DOWN ON US AND SO IS VELMA THAT WE DID IT. CARSTENSEN AND OTHERS HAVE WORKED FOR TEN YEARS TO GET THE HANDS FREE DRIVING BILL PASSED. EVEN AFTER SUFFERING SO MANY SETBACKS, SHE’S ELATED THAT THE NEW LAW IS FINALLY A REALITY. I’VE ALWAYS SAID IS, I DON’T WANT ANY OTHER FAMILY TO GO THROUGH THIS. I HAVE MET SO MANY FAMILIES THAT HAVE HAD LOSS AND FOR A SENSELESS ACT. THE NEW HANDS FREE PHONE BILL GOES INTO EFFECT ON JULY 1ST, BUT LAW ENFORCEMENT WILL JUST START HANDING OUT WARNING TICKETS FOR THE FIRST SIX MONTHS. THEN, ON JANUARY 1ST, 2026, THE FINES WILL BE $100. WE’RE LIVE NEXT TO THE FREEWAY. TO