Albany Watch

   The Senate just passed legislation to prohibit text messaging while driving and increase safety measures for teen drivers. The bill, which the Assembly approved last month, would prohibit using any portable electronic device while driving. That includes phones, laptops, pagers, electronic games and other gadgets.

   Under the legislation, fines could only be imposed as a secondary offense, when a driver gets pulled over for violating another law. The maximum fine would be $150.

   “This bill hopefully in New York State will put an end to the text messaging problem that we have,” said Sen. Carl Marcellino, R-Nassau County, who called the practice a “terrible scourge.”

   Marcellino said many people admit to texting while driving, including adults.

   The vote on the bill was 56-1, with Sen. Betty Little, R-Queensbury, Warren County, voting no.

   The Senate has passed legislation to ban texting while driving in the past, but this is the first year the Assembly has done so. It will now go to Gov. David Paterson for his consideration, but it is likely he will sign it because the ban was incorporated into a driving safety bill for teens that he proposed.