Massachusetts Senate President Karen Spilka joined Boston Public Radio on Tuesday to address upcoming policy initiatives around a slew of issues, from changes to education funding to offering driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants.
On the question of a hands-free driving bill, Spilka asserted that “as of now, people are not supposed to be texting while driving. It is illegal. … We just don’t have a way to enforce it or monitor it.”
Currently, Massachusetts is the only state in New England yet to pass an enforceable hands-free driving bill.
When asked why the bill, which has already passed through the Senate three times, has yet to be enacted, Spilka said it was largely a question of perfecting the language over racial data collection.
“We want to make sure it’s enforceable,” she said. “There are over 15 civil rights organizations that have been urging us to [implement rules in regard to] data collection.”
But a new effort, currently in conference, could signal an end to the wait. “It is a priority,” Spilka said. “We should be able to do this, I’m hoping before a month is over.”
