By Rep. Paul Anderson
The House of Representatives debated for six hours last week before passing two bills that could affect nearly all Minnesotans. One has to do with distracted driving caused by cell phone usage, and the other dealt with the opioid crises that's been called an epidemic by some.
The hands-free cell phone bill would require hands-free or one-touch use for any cellular phone or hand-held device that transmits data while operating a vehicle. Hand-held cell use would be prohibited, and would join texting-while-driving as an illegal activity. Distracted driving is a huge problem, and if this bill is agreed on by both chambers of the Legislature and signed by the governor, our state would join 15 others that have already passed restrictions on the use of electronic devices while driving. Twelve of those states have seen a substantial reduction (16 percent) in highway fatalities within two years of the legislation being enacted into law.
Penalties in the House version of the bill would remain the same as the current statute for texting violations. First offense would be a base fine of $50 plus a court surcharge of $75. Further violations would result in a total fine of $350. For insurance purposes, these would be considered moving violations.
The Insurance Federation of Minnesota testified in support of the bill during committee hearings, saying that a driver has a 66 percent higher chance of being involved in a crash while manipulating a phone. The State Patrol testified that there were more than 9,500 citations issued in Minnesota for texting and driving in 2018. That figure represents a 30-percent increase over the previous year.
The bill had widespread support from a variety of groups, including the Minnesota Trucking Association, Cooperative Network, the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, the Minnesota Grocers Association, and the Minnesota Auto Dealers Association.
Legislation dealing with opioids passed the House by a fairly large majority, 94-34. It contains a package of items to combat the opioid problem, including various appropriations for education programs and other resources. In all, the legislation would raise $20 million annually, with the money coming from fees to be paid by the manufacturers and wholesalers of the drugs. Twelve million dollars would be assessed to those who make opioids, while eight million would come from those who distribute them. Both groups would be required to report to the Board of Pharmacy each sale, delivery, or distribution of opiates into the state.
Opioid addiction has grown to be an enormous problem in this country since 1999. An estimated one in every five patients in the U.S. with non-cancer or pain-related diagnoses is prescribed opioids. Minnesota has the fifth-lowest opioid prescription rate in the country, yet there are estimated to be 47 opioid prescriptions written for every 100 Minnesotans. These drugs were responsible for 395 deaths in our state in 2017, a rise of 18 percent from the previous year. Since 2010, opioids deaths in Minnesota have increased by 66 percent.
With this proposed legislation, opioid prescriptions would be limited to a seven-day supply and the life of those prescriptions would be limited to 30 days. Veterinarians would also be impacted as they would be required to dispense scheduled drugs only when the recipient shows a valid photo ID.
Both of these bills have support in the Senate, and Gov. Tim Walz has also indicated support for them. So, it's fairly likely that these measures, in some form, will become law this year.
Rep. Anderson may be reached at his legislative office by emailing rep.paul.anderson@house.mn or by calling (651) 296-4317.
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