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• Vehle countered that law officers generally do not ticket people for careless driving until they see them do something dangerous on the road and that's often too late to prevent an accident.
• Sen. Larry Rhoden, R-Union Center, said people who do not wear seat belts or motorcycle helmets put themselves in danger, but drivers who text threaten everyone else on the road.
• "You make that decision to text and drive, you affect other people's safety. Ergo, your rights have ended," Rhoden said.
• Sen. Ryan Maher, R-Isabel, tried unsuccessfully to change the bill so a ban would apply only in the state's largest cities, arguing the ban is not needed in South Dakota's rural areas. He noted there are only seven stop lights in his entire legislative district, which covers a huge area in northwestern South Dakota.
• But the Senate rejected Maher's suggestion after Vehle said the law needs to be the same everywhere in the state. Otherwise, travelers would not know where texting is banned, he said.
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EPA Region 8 chief resigns, GOP cites email probe
MEAD GRUVER,Associated Press
• CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) -- A regional administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency who oversaw investigations that involved hydraulic fracturing in Wyoming and asbestos contamination in Montana is resigning.
• EPA Region 8 Director James Martin will step down Friday. Martin had announced his resignation to EPA employees Feb. 15.
• Martin said in his resignation letter it's time for him to turn his attention to his family.
• "Of course, many challenges and opportunities lie ahead, for the agency and the region. Nevertheless, I am supremely confident in your ability to meet those challenges and to improve the lives of the people and communities we serve," Martin wrote.
• His resignation occurs while Republicans, including Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana, investigate whether Martin and EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson used private email accounts to conduct official business.
• "Region 8 Administrator Martin is likely resigning this week in part because of the open investigation about his use of a nonofficial email account to conduct official business," Vitter said in a release Tuesday.
• An EPA spokeswoman said Martin is resigning for personal reasons.
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