State won't pay legal fees for computer lawsuit
Headline Legal News
The state Finance Department has refused to pay the legal fees of a Montgomery law firm that was hired by a legislative oversight committee to stop the state from proceeding with an unbid $13 million computer contract.
State Comptroller Thomas White has written to House Clerk Greg Pappas saying the committee didn't have the authority to hire the firm of Thomas, Means, Gillis & Seay. White said the state can't pay the $26,740 bill submitted by the law firm
The Legislature's Contract Review Committee hired the firm to represent the panel in a lawsuit seeking to stop the unbid contract signed by Gov. Bob Riley with Paragon Source LLC. The lawsuit was dismissed by a Jefferson County judge.
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Texas Adopts Statewide Texting-While-Driving Ban
Effective September 1, 2017, Texas will become the 47th state to pass a statewide ban on texting while driving. Governor Abbott’s signing of House Bill 62 is an effort to unify Texas under a uniform ban and remedy the “patchwork quilt of regulations that dictate driving practices in Texas.”
The bill specifically prohibits drivers from reading, writing, or sending an electronic message on a device unless the vehicle is stopped. That includes texting and emailing. It does not, however, prohibit dialing a number to call someone, talking on the phone using a hands-free device, or using the phone’s GPS system.
Violations would be punishable by a fine ranging from $25 to $99, to be set by each municipality. Although penalties could rise to as much as $200 for repeat offenders.
Studies have found that a driver’s reaction time is half as much when a driver is distracted by sending or reading a text message. According to state officials, in 2015 more than 105,000 traffic accidents in Texas involved distracted driving, leading to at least 476 fatalities.