Several Democratic senators are proposing new legislation that would require states to ban drivers from sending text messages and emails while operating moving vehicles. If states don’t comply with the federal mandate, they face losing up to 25% of their federal highway funds. If the legislation is passed, the transportation secretary would have six months to create guidelines for the states, which would then have up to another two years to implement the texting/emailing bans. The law would not prevent drivers from sending messages in vehicles that are parked. The proposed legislation follows several nationally publicized stories regarding drivers who were sending text messages in the moments before accidents that resulted in property damage, deaths and injuries.