Topeka ? Proponents say a bill to ban texting while driving could save dozens of lives on Kansas roads each year.

The House Transportation Committee was told Tuesday there is support for a measure that would ban drivers from texting, instant messaging and e-mailing. Similar measures have passed in 19 states and the District of Columbia.

The bill contains exceptions for global positioning satellite and similar navigation systems, and for drivers reporting illegal activity to law enforcement officials.

Violators would receive warnings in the first year of the ban, with a $100 fine taking effect in July 2011.

Rep. Gary Hayzlett, a Lakin Republican and committee chairman, said it is unclear when the bill would be worked, but efforts to combine the measure with a seat-belt proposal could doom its chances of passage this session.