Texas is one step closer to a texting ban behind the wheel, but with a host of caveats to curry favor with some state senators.

The Texas Senate State Affairs Committee pushed a revised version of HB 62 along to the full Senate, meeting after adjournment on Tuesday. Committee members discussed the bill Monday, but lacked enough senators to move the bill along.

“The time has come for the State of Texas to pass this legislation,” said State Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, and committee chairwoman.

The bill is an altered version of the one passed by the Texas House, sponsored by State Rep. Tom Craddick, R-Midland. State Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, was unable to get her own bill banning texting while driving to a Senate vote, but is hopeful Craddick’s bill can win passage.

That, however, required revisions to appease some state senators, who wanted to clearly state a Texas-wide ban would supersede any city regulations regarding the use of wireless phones for texting and a few other uses.

As a result, Zaffirini said the bill’s language was altered to say it applied strictly to texting, and allowed for use of a phone to access a mapping feature, such as asking a smartphone for directions.

The bill as revised says police must observe the person or have other evidence to issue a citation.

A person who is stopped still can text, based on the language of the bill.

Though the process has been burdensome, Zaffirini said she was hopeful the outcome would be a state texting ban.

“This would create a statewide standard that would truly save lives,” she said.

Huffman noted a vast majority of Texans support a texting ban, and it is time for lawmakers to approve rules.

Getting the Senate floor, however, is no guarantee. Though Zaffirini said she has 21 votes to pass the ban, it is up to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick to place it on the intent calendar as the Senate races to complete the legislative session.

Gov. Greg Abbott then would need to sign the bill. When it passed the Texas House in March, Craddick said Abbott and Patrick were willing to consider a texting ban, though both at the time remained mum on what they would do, awaiting a final bill.

Craddick and Zaffirini have both spent a decade posing some sort of handheld texting ban in the legislature, which has so far been unsuccessful.