Texas is Greg Abbott’s signature away from having a texting while driving ban.

The Texas Senate on Friday approved HB 62, which outlaws texting while driving, with a number of caveats that got the ban – which has struggled over a decade to gain support in the Capitol – further than it has gotten in years.

“I have waited 10 years to make this motion,” state Sen. Judith Zaffirini said, pushing the bill, authored by state Rep. Tom Craddick, to its final senate vote.

The bill is altered from what Zaffirini and Craddick proposed earlier this session, with tweaks to the language that clearly state the ban applies strictly to texting, and allows for use of a phone to access a mapping feature, such as asking a smartphone for directions.

The state’s rules, if signed by the governor, would supersede city texting bans and allow for other uses such as mapping features. Cities, such as Austin and Bellaire, could still prohibit talking on a phone while driving, or require hands-free devices to talk on a phone while driving.

Under the state ban, drivers could still text when the vehicle is not in motion, and use their phone for texting in case of emergency.

In March, Craddick said his conversations with Abbott led him to be optimistic the bill could gain the governor’s support.

That would be a change from former Gov. Rick Perry, who vetoed a similar ban in 2011, calling it over-regulation of Texas drivers.

Since, Craddick and Zaffirni have filed the bill each session, but it has failed to get to the governor’s desk until Friday.