WASHINGTON—A Senate committee Wednesday added its support of the battle against distracted driving by approving a bill that would allow states to enact laws prohibiting texting and using hand-held cell phones while driving.

Two insurance organizations also supported the measure.

Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., sponsored the Distracted Driving Prevention Act, which won approval Wednesday in the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.

S.B. 1938 includes financial incentives for states with distracted driving regulations similar to those already in place in New Jersey. The Garden State bans the use of hand-held cell phones while driving, and drivers found talking or texting on a hand-held cell phone while driving face a fine.

The legislation would establish a state grant program to enact such restrictions and would require the secretary of the U.S. Transportation Department to issue regulations on the use of wireless devices by commercial drivers.

The bill will be paid for by redirecting money from the primary seat belt grant program which has been running a surplus.

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, people who text while driving have a 23% higher risk of a crash than nondistracted drivers. In 2008, the government said 5,870 people were killed and about 515,000 were injured in crashes involving distracted driving nationwide.

The American Insurance Assn. and the National Assn. of Mutual Insurance Cos. support the bill.

“This legislation is important because it will serve as the anchor for all related efforts to modify unsafe driving behavior, including public education and technology,” David Snyder, Washington-based vp and associate general counsel of the AIA, said in a statement.

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