Budget includes steeper fines for texting drivers
Published 9:49 am Thursday, January 29, 2015
ST. PAUL — Getting caught texting while driving could carry a steeper fine. Entrance fees at Minnesota state parks would rise slightly to pay for upkeep. Meat, poultry, canning and other food-production plants would be more likely to come under inspection thanks to beefed-up budgets.
Small but notable changes like these are sprinkled throughout Gov. Mark Dayton’s proposed two-year budget. Those recommendations won’t get as much attention from lawmakers as his centerpiece plans for increased school aid and for expanded child-care tax credits, but history suggests they’re more likely to get legislative signoff.
The 2,954 pages that make up Dayton’s budget are a trove of details about how agencies operate, where they’re struggling and what managers say would improve services or public safety.
Take the texting clause. The Department of Public Safety wants to double the current $50 fine in cases of repeat offenders. Minnesota outlawed texting and other Internet activities behind the wheel five years ago, and state officials estimate the number of citations is climbing 20 percent a year. In 2013, the most recent figures available, there were 1,739 tickets written.
Donna Berger, director of the Office of Traffic Safety, worries the message about texting dangers isn’t getting through to drivers and says a higher fine could act as a deterrent.