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BELOW 15,000FT OF ALTITUDE. A BILL AIMED AT ELIMINATING DISTRACTED DRIVING IN OUR STATE NOW SITS ON THE GOVERNOR’S DESK FOR A SIGNATURE. THE HANDS FREE DRIVING LEGISLATION PASSED THROUGH THE IOWA HOUSE TODAY. ����vlog OPHELIA JACOBSON IS LIVE AT THE STATE HOUSE TONIGHT. OPHELIA, THIS HAS BEEN A LONG TIME COMING. YEAH, STACEY AND BEN, IT REALLY HAS. THIS IS SOMETHING LAWMAKERS HAVE BEEN TRYING TO PUSH ACROSS THE FINISH LINE FOR YEARS NOW. BUT EVERY YEAR THAT THIS LEGISLATION HAS BEEN INTRODUCED, IT HASN’T GARNERED ENOUGH SUPPORT FROM EITHER CHAMBER. BUT THIS YEAR, NOW WITH THE YES VOTE FROM THE IOWA HOUSE EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON AND A YES VOTE FROM THE IOWA SENATE LAST WEEK, IT’S NOW SITTING ON THE GOVERNOR’S DESK WAITING FOR A SIGNATURE. SO FOR ME, IT IS A BIG SIGH OF RELIEF. LUKE HOFFMAN SAYS HE FEELS MORE AT EASE RIDING HIS BIKE IN IOWA. NOW, IF YOU WOULD HAVE ASKED HIM LAST YEAR, BEEN PERSONALLY HIT BY A DISTRACTED DRIVER. 19 MILES OUTSIDE OF KNOXVILLE. ACTUALLY, WHILE I WAS BIKING. THAT’S WHY HIS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE IOWA BICYCLE COALITION, HE’S BEEN ADVOCATING TO MAKE ROADS SAFER. THIS IS A FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE FOR SAFETY AND ROADWAY SAFETY IN IOWA. THE IOWA HOUSE PASSED A BILL WEDNESDAY WITH BIPARTISAN SUPPORT THAT AIMS TO TACKLE DISTRACTED DRIVING. THOSE VOTING I-80 FOR THOSE VOTING NO. 11 SENATE FILE 22 WOULD PROHIBIT THE USE OF CELL PHONES WHILE DRIVING UNLESS IT’S IN A HANDS FREE OR VOICE ACTIVATED MODE. PEOPLE WHO VIOLATE THAT WOULD FACE A $100 FINE AND A MORE EXPENSIVE FINE. IF THE VIOLATION CAUSES INJURY OR DEATH. I DO BELIEVE THIS LEGISLATION WILL SAVE LIVES. THE BILL NOW SITS ON GOVERNOR KIM REYNOLDS DESK FOR HIS SIGNATURE. IT WAS ONE OF THE PRIORITIES SHE LAID OUT IN HER CONDITION OF THE STATE EARLIER THIS YEAR. LET’S FINALLY PASS LEGISLATION THAT REQUIRES DRIVERS TO KEEP THEIR EYES ON THE ROAD AND AWAY FROM THEIR PHONES. HOFFMAN SAYS THE GOVERNOR’S SUPPORT ABSOLUTELY HELPED PUSH THE LEGISLATION ACROSS THE FINISH LINE THIS YEAR, AND SO DID THE FAMILIES THAT SHARED THEIR STORIES. AS THE BILL MADE ITS WAY THROUGH THE STATE HOUSE. YOU KNOW THE REASON WHY THE COALITION HAS BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR OVER SEVEN YEARS NOW IS THE STORIES OF ALL THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN DIRECTLY IMPACTED BY THIS. HOFFMAN SAYS THIS IS A WIN FOR ALL IOWANS, NOT JUST BICYCLISTS. HE SAYS THERE’S STILL A LONG ROAD AHEAD. THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF THE WORK AND NOT THE END. I DID REACH OUT TO THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE FOR COMMENT, BUT DID NOT HEAR BACK. WE’RE LIVE AT THE STATE HOUSE. OPHE