Legislators discuss cell phones, Empowerment

    State Senator Becky Schmitz (D) and State Representative Larry Marek (D) spoke to a group of about 25 people in the courthouse Saturday for the second legislative briefing of the year. Cell phone use was one of the hot topics debated at the legislative briefing. Marek announced that the state is considering a bill that would outlaw sending text messages while driving. He said that during the first year the law was in effect, a warning would be given to people caught texting while driving.

    Mike Pearson was in the audience and told the legislators he favors a ban on cell phones while driving for both speaking and texting. He even offered a creative way of enforcing such a ban.

    ?I think cell phone use should be banned while you?re driving. One way I?d like to see it is through satellites. If a satellite detects that it [the cell phone] is moving over a certain speed, you lose your signal. It doesn?t simply have to be through law enforcement. It can be done through cell phone providers. A moving cell phone simply loses its signal except for 911 calls,? he said.

    The legislators also heard from Tasha Beghtol, the coordinator for the empowerment programs in Washington and Henry counties. Beghtol asked the legislators if they supported keeping the empowerment program in the department of management where it is currently or if they favor moving it to the department of education. 

    ?Larry, as you said in your opening remarks, empowerment is a controversial subject this year. Empowerment is in the reorganization bill. It has been restated that restructuring will save zero dollars. My concern is that it is almost unanimous among local boards across the state that we do not belong in the Department of Education. I have grave concerns that what is happening in Des Moines is a push for the wants of a few rather than what the people on the ground want.?

    Schmitz responded that she didn?t think there would be significant changes to the way empowerment is currently run.

    ?I think empowerment is going to stay in the department of management,? said Schmitz. ?There is pretty broad support for 99 percent of the bill. I don?t anticipate any changes in the department of management aspect.?

For the full article, see our Feb. 22 print edition.