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A bill to ban texting while driving has been defeated in the House Judiciary Committee.
Members voted against the ban 8-5 even though no one testified against the bill.
It had passed the Senate last week.
Several cities in South Dakota have recently passed measures that ban texting while driving. This state bill would have taken precedent over those local bans. Supporters testified that it would have been best for the legislature to adopt a statewide ban so there isn't a patchwork of texting bans in different cities across the state.
The only opponents of the bill were on the House Judiciary Committee and they voted against the ban citing studies that have found similar laws aren't effective.
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety South Dakota is one of six states to have no ban at all.
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