Brandon Jones for House District 111

I am very pleased that two of my bills have been approved in the Senate and are now on their way to the Governor’s desk for his consideration.

House Bill 1357 would include individuals who falsely claim to be a representative of an entity to open bank accounts and obtain credit cards under the identity theft statute.

House Bill 1362 would allow the Attorney General’s office to investigate and prosecute computer crimes involving children.

This week, House members tried to improve Mississippi’s poor teen driving record by extending the licensing age and banning cell phone texting for young drivers. The state ranks second in the U.S. in teenage driving deaths, and several tragic accidents have taken the lives of teenage drivers in recent years.

Under House language inserted in Senate Bill 2280, a teenager who is at least 16 ˝ years of age (up from 16) and has held an intermediate license for six months without a violation may be issued a regular license. Most of the debate on the bill centered on the section that would prohibit 15 and 16 year old drivers from texting while driving. An initial fine would be $500 but $1,000 if it involved an accident.