Carl Hessler of The Delaware County Daily Times writes:

Pennsylvania House members have voted thumbs down to what they say is the Senate’s “watered down” version of a House proposal that would impose stricter rules for teen drivers.

By a bipartisan vote of 126-71, House members, Thursday night, rejected the Senate’s version of House Bill 67, complaining that the Senate version’s amendments weaken the bill in three significant ways, when it comes to cell phone and texting bans, passenger restrictions and driver training hours.

“The House sent a clear message today – we want a strong distracted driving bill that will save lives in Pennsylvania,” said State Rep. Josh Shapiro, D-153rd Dist., adding he will continue to work towards achieving a “stronger and more comprehensive” teen safety and distracted driving law for Pennsylvania residents.

The non-concurrence vote by the House sends the proposal to conference committee where lawmakers from the Senate and House could debate the issue this summer with the hope of working out a compromise.

House Bill 67, originally passed by the House in April 2009 by a vote of 168-24, would have made it a primary offense for a junior driver to text or talk on a cell phone while driving. In May, the Senate amended the bill to make such conduct a secondary offense, meaning law enforcement officers could only cite teen drivers for using a cell phone if they were stopped for another traffic violation or if they were involved in an accident.

The Senate version also “watered down” proposals to limit the number of passengers under 18 in a junior driver’s vehicle, according to House members.

Read the full article here.