COLUMBIA - Texting-while-driving bans are headed to the South Car­o­lina Senate and House after votes in two committees on separate proposals.

Though disagreements remain, a House panel on Tuesday passed a bill calling for a blanket ban on hand-held cell phone use.

The bill, H. 4282, introduced by North Augusta Republican Rep. Don Smith, cleared the state House Com­mittee on Education and Public Works and will go before the full House.

"If we didn't have a texting problem, we'd be addressing the hand-held cell phone problem," said Smith.

Rep. Jim Stewart, an Aiken Repub­lican, tried to limit the ban to texting , but he could not gather his colleagues' support.

"I don't think there is sufficient evidence to show that cell phones are more destructive than a number of other things," said Stewart.

"This would be very devastating for small businesses," he said, adding that some people use their trucks as their offices. Other lawmakers questioned how the law would be enforced.

Smith said it would be similar to the seat belt law.

He said research has shown 82 percent of people follow laws, and "if we get 82 percent of people to adhere to this law, then we've done a good day's work."

The bill calls for violators to pay a $100 fine and have two points assessed against their licenses.

It also imposes stronger penalties against school bus drivers. Inside school buses, signs must display a telephone number that students can call to report drivers for violations.

Also Tuesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved S. 642, a ban on texting while driving. The bill was amended to outlaw any kind of text-based communication, such as e-mailing and instant-messaging, unless the user has a hands-free function, such as voice-activated texting.
That bill now moves to the full Senate.