CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - The Senate has all but killed a move to make it illegal for drivers to send text messages on cell phones or type on laptop computers or other electronic devices.

The Senate voted 15-9 Thursday night to put the bill on the table - a parliamentary move that effectively kills it.

The bill's sponsor, Nashua Democrat David Campbell, said Friday the chances are slim that the bill would be resurrected before lawmakers adjourn next month.

"It's unlikely to be back," said Campbell. He said he would introduce it again next year if he's re-elected.

Talking on a cell phone while driving would have been allowed under Campbell's bill, but sending a text message would have drawn a $100 fine.

The state already has a law allowing police to ticket distracted drivers. Critics said the law encompasses text messaging and other distractions, so the bill wasn't necessary.

But supporters said that current law doesn't do enough to address the serious risk of drivers using their knees to hold the wheel while they text-message on tiny phones or type on laptops. They said that at 55 mph, a driver paying attention to his text message instead of his driving would travel 80 feet per second down the highway.

Other states have or are considering similar bans. In a recent Massachusetts case, a 13-year-old boy died, allegedly as a result of a man driving an SUV while text-messaging. Drivers who read and compose text messages in Washington state face $124 tickets under a law that took effect Jan. 1. And Phoenix banned text messaging while driving in the city last year.

The bill would have exempted anyone driving an emergency vehicle or using a wireless device to report a crime, summon medical or emergency help or prevent injury or property damage. Relaying information between a for-hire driver and a dispatcher also would have been exempt, as would receiving driving instructions via a global positioning system.

AP-ES-05-16-08 1319EDT