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• Attorney General Marty Jackley says the Masons should be commended for creating the program and putting in the time to volunteer and administer it throughout South Dakota.
• The event is planned for 1:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. at Wessington Springs Elementary School
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State lawmakers try again to pass texting ban
CHET BROKAW, Associated Press
• PIERRE, S.D. (AP) -- South Dakota lawmakers decided Wednesday to make another attempt to pass a measure that would ban texting while driving in the final two days of this year's legislative session.
• The bill was thought to be dead late Tuesday when a negotiating committee of House and Senate members was unable to reach a compromise between versions of the measure passed by each chamber.
• But the House and Senate on Wednesday appointed a new negotiating committee with three members from each chamber. The panel will meet Thursday, the day before the session's main run ends.
• "I think we're going to come together on this," said Rep. Charlie Hoffman, R-Eureka, chair of the negotiating committee.
• The House and Senate have been unable to agree on what fine should be imposed, whether law officers could issue tickets without first stopping drivers for other offenses, and whether cities should be allowed to pass their own bans.
• Hoffman said the proposed compromise would still make texting behind the wheel a secondary offense, meaning officers could only issue tickets after stopping drivers for other traffic violations. A first violation in a year would be a petty offense with a penalty of $100, a second offense would be a Class 2 misdemeanor with a $200 fine, and a third offense would be a misdemeanor with a maximum fine of $500, he said. A third offense also would mean a driver could lose the right to drive for 30 days, except for getting to work.
• Hoffman said lawmakers on Thursday would reveal a provision dealing with what authority cities and counties would have to regulate texting while driving. Eight local governments passed their own bans after the Legislature repeatedly failed to pass a texting ban in recent years.
• This year's battle has focused on deep disagreements between House Speaker Brian Gosch, R-Rapid City, and Sen. Mike Vehle, R-Mitchell, the sponsors of competing bills. They were unable to compromise in Tuesday's negotiating session, and neither is on the new negotiating committee.
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