A texting ban for teen drivers in Arizona?
Lawmaker’s departure could facilitate return of proposal
PHOENIX — A decision by a Peoria lawmaker to take a job in the Trump administration could finally clear the way for Arizona to have its first-ever texting ban for teenage drivers.
Republican Rep. Phil Lovas said he will be the regional advocate for the Small Business Administration. Lovas, an early Trump supporter, said he had put his name in for consideration with White House staff.
His last day in office will be the end of this week.
The move does more than set the stage for party workers in his district to recommend a replacement to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors which chooses a replacement. That new lawmaker, who would serve out the balance of the term which runs through the end of next year, has to be a Republican like Lovas.
It also leaves vacant the helm of the powerful House Rules Committee, through which all bills must pass to go to the House floor.
One that Lovas has refused to hear is SB 1080. That measure, which passed the Senate on a 24-6 margin, bans not only texting by new teen drivers but even talking on a cell phone.
The same bill sponsored by Sen. Karen Fann, R-Prescott, also gained approval by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on
a 7-1 vote.
But Lovas told Capitol Media Services last week he was not interested in advancing the measure to the floor. While Lovas said he was “personally ambivalent’’ about the issue, he had heard concerns from colleagues — he did not name names — who feared that once teens were forbidden to use cell phones and drive it would be the “‘camel’s nose under the tent,’ paving the way for restrictions on others.’’
It is now up to House Speaker J.D. Mesnard to choose someone to head the committee; there is no real chance that whoever takes Lovas’ seat will also get the plum position of chairing Rules.
Lovas acknowledged how his resignation affects all that.
“I think the happiest people today would probably be Karen Fann and others whose bills I have held,’’ he laughed. And Lovas, who just a week ago said the texting ban was in a “deep coma’’ in his committee, said its life signs are now looking healthier.
“It might be coming out of a coma,’’ he quipped.
Fann, for her part, said she remains hopeful that perhaps Lovas will provide a going-away gift of sorts to her and supporters of SB 1080 and allow the measure to go to the full House, where she says she has the votes.
“I have always been very hopeful that Phil would stand up and put that on there,’’ meaning the Rules
agenda, she said. “The fact that he’s moving onward and upward, that just gives him one more reason to do the right thing and put it on the agenda this week.’’
Lovas would not say how much his new job pays. But he gets just $24,000 a year as a legislator plus a $35-a-day allowance when the legislature is in session.
He said he actively sought the new gig with the Small Business Administration.
“I spoke to people in the White House personnel office who sent my resume over to them,’’ Lovas said. As to leaving with the legislature in session, he said that’s just the timing.
“The opportunity came up now,’’ he said.
Lovas said his new job fits his background, including a stint as director of franchise development for InterContinental Hotels Group and Cendant Hotels.
“My job will be to work with small businesses, small business owners and to advocate on behalf of their concerns to the federal government, and particularly in regard to the rulemaking and regulation process,’’ he said. “It’s a great fit.’’
Lovas himself first got into office through the same process that will choose his replacement: He filled the seat vacated by Judy Burges in 2012 when she was named to the Senate to replace Scott Bundgaard who resigned ahead of an Ethics Committee investigation.
Lovas’ departure could create a domino effect: If someone who chairs another panel wants to instead be in charge of the Rules Committee, that creates another post for Mesnard to fill.