Bill banning handheld cellphone use while driving heads to Iowa governor’s desk

By Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch

After years of failed starts, the Iowa Legislature has finally sent legislation banning the handheld use of cellphones while driving to Gov. Kim Reynolds.

The Iowa House passed Senate File 22 on a 84-11 vote Wednesday, March 26. The legislation is an expansion of Iowa’s current laws banning texting while driving to cover any handheld use of a cellphone. Drivers could still use a device in hands-free or voice-activated modes under the legislation.

If signed into law, the bill would be enacted July 1, 2025, when law enforcement officers would begin giving warnings for violation of the measure. Beginning Jan. 1, 2026, violations of the law would result in a fine of $100. If the incident results in an injury, that fine would increase to $500; in cases causing death, the fine would be $1,000.

It’s a change to Iowa law that law enforcement officers have been asking the Legislature to pass for years, as Iowa’s current distracted driving laws are difficult to enforce. An officer who sees a person using a cellphone behind the wheel  often cannot tell if a person was texting or using their phone for an approved function, like navigation.

Though sought by law enforcement and families of people who died in accidents involving distracted drivers, the measure has for years failed to advance through the Iowa House.

Peter and JoAnn Bengtson of Richland, Washington, have been ardent supporters of changing the law, including coming to Iowa to testify to the Legislature in previous sessions.

They are the parents of Ellen Bengtson of Charles City, who was killed while riding her bicycle in 2020 when a man looked down at a Facebook notification that popped up on the screen of his cellphone and struck Bengtson with his pickup. The case of vehicular homicide against the man was dismissed by a district court judge after she ruled that Iowa law did not prohibit what the man did with his cellphone .

Rep. Sean Bagniewski, D-Des Moines, thanked the families who came to speak with lawmakers at subcommittee meetings and with committee members about the measure, saying “their advocacy, for years now, is what brought us to this moment.”

This year, the measure gained more momentum as Reynolds called for lawmakers to support a measure to ban the handheld use of cellphones while driving in her January Condition of the State address, which she said will help prevent traffic deaths.

The measure received only one “no” vote in the Iowa Senate from Sen. Kerry Gruenhagen, R-Walcott. In the House Wednesday, 10 Republicans and one Democrat voted against the measure.

No representatives spoke in opposition to the bill during floor debate.

Rep. Ann Meyer, R-Fort Dodge, floor manager for the legislation, thanked the Iowans who for years spoke about the need to pass a ban on the use of handheld electronic advices behind the wheel.

“Thanks to everyone who’s worked on this bill over the years, especially thanks to the families — telling your story is very difficult, but it has made a difference,” Meyer said. “I do believe this legislation will save lives.”

Advocates celebrated the bill’s passage Wednesday.

Luke Hoffman, executive director of the Iowa Bicycle Coalition, said in a news release the bill “will save lives and make our roads safer for all Iowans”

“Iowa urgently needs a hands-free driving law, and the Iowa Bike Coalition has worked towards this day for nearly seven years since it was first introduced,” Hoffman said. “We have been persistent in our efforts because of the stories our advocates elevate of Iowans impacted by this issue. … We do this for them, for their families, and know that this new law will for a fact prevent unnecessary future loss of loved ones. This law is the seatbelt law of our generation, and we will be working in the coming months to educate the general public on how we can all change behavior so we can save lives, together.”

The measure heads to Reynolds, who is expected to sign the measure into law.

— Iowa Capital Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions: info@iowacapitaldispatch.com.