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• Nelson's proposed amendment failed 2-54 after other lawmakers said they were offended by Nelson's proposal, calling it inappropriate for a bill seeking to prevent teen deaths.
• "We should not stoop to that level to make a point," said Rep. Jim Petersen, D-Revillo.
• Rep. Steve Hickey, R-Sioux Falls, said Nelson's proposed amendment turned the debate into "kind of a circus."
• When the debate focused on the bill itself, supporters said young drivers should not use cellphones because the devices increase the risk of crashes. Opponents said there's no proof that banning cellphones reduces crashes.
• Rep. Peggy Gibson, D-Huron, said 33 states and the District of Columbia already ban the use of cellphones by novice drivers because inexperienced drivers are more easily distracted when they talk or text.
• "We're talking about saving teens from crashes, from fatalities. These are 14- and 15-year-old children," said Gibson, a member of the task force that recommended the bill.
• Rep. Mike Verchio, R-Hill City, said there's no evidence that a ban on cellphones saves lives.
• "This is a feel-good bill that will not change a thing," said Verchio said.
• South Dakota allows 14-year-olds to get instruction permits, the nation's youngest age for driving while accompanied by an adult. Those young drivers can graduate to restricted permits that allow them to drive alone in the daytime after six months, or just 90 days if they have completed a driver's education course.
• Young drivers can move to unrestricted permits at age 16 if they pass a written test and a driving test.
• The Legislature has rejected task force proposals that included a longer training period for beginning drivers, a plan to limit passengers in vehicles driven by young drivers, and a proposal to create a standardized statewide system for driver's education courses.
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• PIERRE, S.D. (AP) -- A measure that would set up a coordinated drivers' education system with statewide standards for course content, instruction, testing and instructor certification has failed in the South Dakota House.
• The bill was one of a handful to come out of the Task Force on Teen Driving Safety.

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