The Michigan State House of Representatives based on December 9 a bill that would ban texting while driving in the state. The bill was introduced by Michigan State Rep. Lee Gonzales, a Democrat of Flint Township and advisor to the University of Michigan-Flint.
The House voted 94-13 to make texting while driving a secondary offense, which means that motorists could be ticketed if pulled over by police for speeding or other offenses. The companion Senate bill also makes texting while driving a secondary offense. The Senate committee voted unanimously in favor of a two-bill package that accomplishes the same thing.
Representative Gonzales is a graduate of the University of Michigan-Flint. Long active in Democratic party affairs, Gonzales has also been active in alternative energy and on behalf of Michigan's migrant workers. He was assistant treasurer of Genesee County, wherein is located the city of Flint, and was once the assistant director of the Flint-based Spanish Speaking Information Center. Gonzales was also a prime mover in the establishment of the Land Bank in Genesee County and is favored to succeed Dan Kildee as its director. Kildee is slated to take a Mott Foundation-funded position in Washington DC. Gonzales blogs at http://leegonzales.blogspot.com
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