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DES MOINES, IOWA -- Key legislation is signed into law on Thursday which will make texting while driving illegal in the state of Iowa.

State Representative Curt Hanson (D-Fairfield), a long-time Driver's Education Teacher, co-authored legislation that prohibits the use of all electronic and mobile devices while driving for those under the age of 18. Persons over 18 may not use a hand-held electronic device to read, write, or send a text message while driving.

Violators will be charged with a simple misdemeanor and a $30 fine. If texting is the cause of an accident that results in serious injury or death, penalties increase up to a $1000 fine and 180-day license suspension.

KTVO spoke with Representative Hanson from Des Moines following the ceremony on Thursday. Only his first term in office, Hanson said seeing this bill become law "caps" his 43 years of Driver Education experience.

The Representative added that once the law officially takes effect on July 1st, there will be a one-year educational period. During this time, drivers will receive only warning tickers in order to alert them of the new law.

"And I think this is a very good way to help introduce this. And Iowans understand the importance of it. So there will be a lot of Public Service Announcements and there will be Driver Education units that are taught about this. You will hear a lot more about this bill in the next year," Rep. Hanson said.

Many citizens have asked: can this law be enforced?

"Well when I talked with the head of the Iowa Highway Patrol, I asked him in the committee, 'Can this be enforced?' And he said, 'Most definitely.' And this is a law they can enforce, just as they did the early seatbelt laws and so forth," Rep. Hanson said.

Hanson said that distracted drivers leave obvious clues, such as weaving from side-to-side and across lanes, or screeching to a stop signal. 

(Above photo: Representative Hanson is seen alongside legislators and law enforcement officers as Iowa Governor Chet Culver signs the texting ban into law on the west steps of the State Capital on Thursday afternoon.)