BOSTON — The Massachusetts State Senate closed out their formal sessions for the year Nov. 20 taking action on distracted driving and education funding, and a host of other bills.
The Senate voted 39-0 in favor of the $1.5 billion education funding bill that was released from the conference committee earlier this week. The funding is to be spread out over a seven-year period and will be distributed through calculations made from the Chapter 70 formula, size of ESL programs, and income rates.
“I was happy to vote in favor of this education funding bill today, seeing that many of the towns in my district are in great need of more funding for their schools. This funding will help students across the Commonwealth over the next seven years and will presumably change the future of many children’s lives” said state Sen. Donald F. Humason Jr. (R-Second Hampden and Hampshire).
Another important vote taken by the body on their last day of formal session for the year was in regards to distracted driving. The Senate voted 38-1 in favor of the hands-free driving bill that was released from the conference committee on Tuesday. The bill bans the use of all handheld electronic devices behind the wheel but will allow for use in hands-free mode.
Drivers in the Commonwealth will, however, be allowed to use electronic navigation programs and systems only if the device being used is mounted to the windshield, dashboard, or center console. It is important to note that drivers cannot use their hands to interact with any electronic device beyond the single touch it may take to activate the hands-free mode.
“The time has finally come to make it crystal clear: if you are operating a motor vehicle you should not be operating a handheld electronic device,” said Humason. “Many of my constituents have described their personal stories of close-calls and in unfortunate cases, the injuries they experienced from being hit by a distracted driver. I was actually rear-ended on the Mass Pike by a driver who admitted to looking at his handheld GPS when he ran right into my pickup truck. I was injured in this accident. Luckily, the other driver was not.”
The House of Representatives passed the distracted driving bill on Tuesday and the education funding bill on Wednesday. Both bills have been sent to Gov. Charlie Baker for his signature and/or action.
