Latest news with #SenateBill37
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Once again targeting higher ed, Texas lawmakers limited faculty influence, campus speech this session
Texas Republican lawmakers continued their carrot-and-stick approach to higher education during this year's legislative session, pressuring public universities into abandoning what they view as progressive policies. As in 2023, they opened with threats to withhold hundreds of millions in funding unless universities aligned more closely with their conservative vision of higher education. In the end, lawmakers left that pool of money alone, but the pressure may help explain why university leaders held back from commenting publicly on some of the most controversial proposals brought forward this session. One new law will shift power away from faculty — who have often resisted GOP leaders' recent efforts to push schools to the right — by giving governor-appointed university regents more control over curriculum and hiring. It will also create an office to monitor schools' compliance with the new law and the existing ban on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, which could lead to funding cuts for schools found in violation. Lawmakers also responded to pro-Palestinian protests with bills that limit how students can express themselves on campus and require schools to use a definition of antisemitism in disciplinary proceedings. Meanwhile, university officials were vocal about the need for a law allowing them to directly pay student athletes for the use of their name, image and likeness, which they said will be essential to help their athletic programs remain competitive. Lawmakers signed off on this and other less controversial higher ed measures, such as transferring the University of Houston-Victoria to the Texas A&M University System, proposing a constitutional amendment to fund repairs at Texas State Technical College and tweaking the community college funding model to better support students. About 1.4 million students are enrolled across Texas's public higher education system in the fall of 2024. It comprises 36 universities, 50 community and junior college districts, one technical college system, and 14 health-related institutions. Here's how new legislation approved this year will impact them. Senate Bill 37 could have a profound impact on how universities are run and what students can learn. The sweeping legislation gives public university systems' boards of regents, which are appointed by the governor, new authority to approve or deny the hiring of top university administrators and reject courses that do not align with the state's workforce demands. Traditionally, faculty senates have advised university administrators on academic matters and hiring decisions. But in recent years, some Republicans have increasingly criticized faculty members, viewing them as obstacles to their efforts to reshape higher education. SB 37 also creates an ombudsman's office within the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. It will have the power to investigate complaints that universities and colleges aren't following the new law or the state's DEI ban, as well as recommend funding cuts for violators. Supporters say the office will bring needed accountability, while the American Association of University Professors contends that, without due process protections, it is ripe for abuse. Initially, the bill would have barred any course that advocates that one race, sex, ethnicity or religious belief is superior to another. But lawmakers struck that provision after the AAUP warned it would chill classroom discussions on complex and controversial topics. 'Even with that small victory, SB 37 will put what we teach in the hands of political appointees rather than the hands of faculty who have studied these subjects and understand their nuance,' said Brian Evans, president of the Texas Conference of the AAUP. 'The passage of SB 37 is a dark day for Texas colleges and universities, with many more to come.' The law also requires regents at each university system to decide by Sept. 1 whether their schools' faculty senates can continue to operate. If allowed, the legislation requires that the bodies are capped at 60 members, and half of them must be appointed by administrators. This session came in the wake of pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses across the nation and the start of President Donald Trump's second term in the White House. Trump has said universities did not do enough to protect Jewish students during the protests, and Texas Republicans shared his concern. They passed legislation that will restrict protesting on campus, especially at night or in the last two weeks of a semester. Specifically, Senate Bill 2972 bars anyone who participates in a protest from using microphones or other amplification devices during class hours if it intimidates others or interferes with campus operations or police work. They will also be prohibited from wearing disguises and erecting tents, and will have to identify themselves when asked by a university official or police. That bill is headed to Gov. Greg Abbott's desk, but the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression is urging him to veto it. The group told Abbott that the bill's scope is so broad that it would prohibit students from wearing a Make America Great Again hat on campus between the hours of 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. Abbott, who called last year's pro-Palestinian protests 'hate filled,' has until June 22 to decide whether to veto the proposal; otherwise, it will become law. He has already signed into law Senate Bill 326, which requires that schools use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's working definition and examples of antisemitism when considering disciplining a student. Free speech advocates say that definition and those examples conflate criticism of the Israeli government with antisemitism. Abbott has also signed a law allowing Texas public universities to directly pay student athletes for the use of their name, likeness and image. The governor signed the legislation on June 5 and it became effective immediately. The next day, a judge approved a settlement that ended claims that the National Collegiate Athletic Association was illegally limiting the earning power of student athletes. Texas Tech and Texas A&M University systems publicly pushed lawmakers to act in anticipation of that settlement and an NCAA rule change. Under House Bill 126, athletes 17 or older can receive payments from their school after they are enrolled and participating in their sports program. Lawmakers answered the call from Victoria residents to transfer a small college there from the University of Houston system to the Texas A&M system. Residents have pushed for this since at least 2011. Proponents say the move will stabilize the university's declining enrollment and allow it to offer agribusiness and engineering programs that the local economy requires. Legislators also passed Senate Joint Resolution 59, which would create an endowment for the underfunded Texas State Technical College. If voters approve it as a constitutional amendment on Nov. 4, TSTC will receive money to fix its infrastructure and grow its presence across the state. In 2023, similar legislation passed through the Legislature with bipartisan support, but was among the slew of bills Abbott vetoed to signal his disappointment with the House and Senate's inability to find a compromise over property taxes during the regular legislative session. This year, the effort to give technical colleges a funding boost nearly got caught in political crosshairs again, when House Democrats threatened to shoot down all constitutional amendments over school vouchers. Republican state lawmakers were less successful than the Trump administration in targeting international and undocumented students — at least legislatively. After the Trump administration began revoking the visas and legal immigration status of international students who it said had participated in Pro-Palestinian demonstrations or were charged with a crime, the Texas Senate passed a measure that would have required universities to suspend and report to the federal government international students who are 'publicly endorsing or espousing terrorist activity related to an ongoing conflict.' But the House did not consider it. Another bill proposed this year sought to repeal a 2001 law that allows undocumented students who have lived for some time in Texas and promised to take steps toward becoming legal residents to pay in-state college tuition. The measure advanced out of committee for the first time in a decade, but stalled before a full vote. Advocates for undocumented students were relieved, but it was short-lived. Two days after the legislative session ended, the Trump administration sued Texas, claiming the policy discriminated against U.S. citizens. Texas did not defend its law in court and now as many as 19,000 students are facing higher tuition bills in the fall. Ultimately, the 2025 session mirrored 2023 in pairing threats to defund universities over DEI with a continued push for more performance-based funding. Lawmakers opened the session by proposing to zero out the institutional enhancement fund, a $423 million line item from the last budget cycle. They argued universities remained 'too [DEI] and leftist-focused.' Though the fund isn't universities' sole source of revenue, school leaders warned that losing it would harm student success and academic programs, especially because Abbott had barred tuition increases to offset the cut. Universities have struggled to please anyone on the DEI front: Legislators claim the schools haven't done enough to comply with the state's DEI ban, while students and faculty say they've overcomplied. Last year, leaders from all seven of Texas' public university systems testified and described in writing how they had laid off or reassigned staff, closed offices and eliminated certain training and programs tied to DEI. In the end, lawmakers restored the institutional enhancement fund but said future funding will be based on the universities' performance. It is unclear what metrics lawmakers might consider implementing to evaluate universities or whether they'll want to create a similar system like the one used for community colleges. A 2023 reform changed how Texas measures community colleges' performance. Their funding used to be based on their enrollment numbers; now they receive money based on the number of job credentials, degrees or certificates their students complete. Legislators refined that law this year in the hope that it will help connect more Texans to higher education. Under Senate Bill 1786, community colleges will receive funds when their students transfer to private universities, not just public ones. This will help schools like McLennan Community College, which has a strong pipeline to Baylor University next door. SB 1786 also narrows the definition of a 'credential of value,' tying it more closely to wage-related returns on investment for students and to labor market needs. Finally, the bill clarifies that students in the Windham School District, the high school education system in Texas prisons, qualify for the FAST grant, which waives the cost of dual credit courses. The state has just five years to meet its goal of getting 60% of Texas adults a postsecondary degree or credential. The Texas Tribune partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage. Disclosure: Baylor University, Texas A&M University, Texas A&M University System and University of Houston have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. Big news: 20 more speakers join the TribFest lineup! New additions include Margaret Spellings, former U.S. secretary of education and CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center; Michael Curry, former presiding bishop and primate of The Episcopal Church; Beto O'Rourke, former U.S. Representative, D-El Paso; Joe Lonsdale, entrepreneur, founder and managing partner at 8VC; and Katie Phang, journalist and trial lawyer. Get tickets. TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.
Miami Herald
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
How Texas Is Transforming Education
The education landscape in Texas is undergoing a massive transformation, with changes set to impact students from K-12 to college. The state will soon implement a $1 billion school voucher program—one of the largest in the country—that will use public dollars to fund private school tuition, which critics have warned will direct resources away from public schools and exclude those with disabilities and low-income households. Earlier this month, lawmakers approved Senate Bill 37, which will give governing boards appointed by the governor new powers to control the curriculum at public higher education institutions and eliminate some degree programs. The legislation marks the latest effort to increase political control of public higher education institutions in Texas, where a ban on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives took effect in January last year. Also this month, a federal judge blocked a Texas law that had given college students without legal residency access to reduced in-state tuition. "This was maybe the most consequential session for public education in the history of Texas, or certainly one of the most consequential sessions," Vivek Datla, regional education policy fellow at the Intercultural Development Research Association, told Newsweek. The voucher program that Governor Greg Abbott signed into law last month will allow Texas families from the 2026 school year to receive $10,000 per year to help pay for students' private school tuition. Children with disabilities can qualify for up to $30,000 a year. Advocates champion vouchers as a way to put parents in control of their children's education, with Abbott saying that it will ensure that Texas families "whose children can no longer be served by the public school assigned to them, have the choice to take their money and find the school that is right for them." But opponents argue that it will drain money from public school and mainly benefit children from wealthier families since voucher payments rarely cover the full cost of sending children to private schools. They also say that unlike public schools, which must accept all students, private schools can be selective about which students they admit, meaning the most vulnerable students are likely to be excluded from taking advantage of the program. Critics have also slammed Texas lawmakers for approving the voucher program while failing to act on a separate bill that would invest $7.7 billion in public education over the next two years. Earlier in the year, lawmakers had pledged that passage of a school voucher bill and public school funding legislation would happen in tandem. "Schools have been dealing with a lack of investment for over six years," Jaime Puente, the director of Economic Opportunity for Every Texan, told Newsweek. "School districts across the state are currently dealing with closures, they're dealing with reduced services. "That lack of investment has been exacerbated and will be exacerbated by the introduction of a third system of education that is entirely unequal, through the voucher program." Senate Bill 37 shifts some responsibilities traditionally held by professors to political appointees on university governing boards at public colleges and universities. The governing boards will be tasked with reviewing general education curriculum requirements to ensure that courses are necessary to prepare students for civic and professional life, equip them for participation in the workforce and worth the cost. The boards will also have the authority to eliminate courses with low enrolment. The legislation also creates a state ombudsman's office, which will have the power to investigate complaints against institutions and threaten funding if they don't comply with the law. It was approved by the Texas Legislature earlier in June and Abbott has until June 22 to sign it into law. Republican state Representative Matt Shaheen, who co-sponsored the legislation, said the aim was to "provide consistency with respect to our curriculum and the degrees we're offering our students." But the legislation "represents a huge, huge shift in the way that universities are governed and how curriculum decisions and general academic policies will be made" in universities, Datla said. "By shifting curricular authority away from faculty and towards these politically appointed boards, students could lose access to diverse, rigorous and thought-provoking courses," he said. Limiting what can be taught "undermines students' ability to think critically" and "ultimately receive a truly comprehensive education," he said. "Their academic experiences may increasingly reflect political or economic agendas rather than scholarly or student-centered priorities." Cameron Samuels, the executive director of Students Engaged in Advancing Texas who will start a graduate program at the University of Texas next year, told Newsweek that Senate Bill 37 will make students question whether it will worth pursuing higher education in Texas. "Texas is home. It's a place I care about. It's a place I want to thrive in," Samuels said. But legislation Senate Bill 37 "deters people from wanting a Texas education." Others have warned that the legislation could lead to a "brain drain" of students, faculty and researchers—along with their grant funding—from Texas institutions. The Texas American Federation of Teachers reported earlier this month that among the union's membership alone, 40 faculty members have reported leaving Texas because of "legislative attacks." "Hundreds of faculty and students testified to the expected catastrophic impacts of this legislation, from the exodus of top teaching talent to the waning of Texas higher educational institutions' prestige," Zeph Capo, president of the Texas AFT, has said. This bill "represents a fundamental shift in the very things that made our universities attractive," Datla said. "And there's a lot of fear from professors and a lot of fear from students about whether or not they want to continue their work or continue their education here." On June 4, U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor struck down the Texas Dream Act, which for more than two decades had given college students without legal residency—"Dreamers"—access to reduced in-state tuition. The ruling came days after the end of the Texas legislative session, during which a repeal bill pushed by group of Republicans was considered but ultimately did not come up for a vote. The Department of Justice sued to block the policy and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a motion agreeing that it should not be enforced, clearing the way for O'Connor to issue an injunction. "Ending this discriminatory and un-American provision is a major victory for Texas," Paxton said following the judge's ruling. The policy was initially passed by sweeping majorities in the state Legislature in 2001 and signed into law by then-Governor Rick Perry, a Republican. But it soon came under fire as debates over illegal immigration ramped up. Still, legislative efforts to repeal the law have repeatedly failed. In the legislative session that ended in early June, a bill to repeal the law did not even get a vote. Supporters of the policy say the ruling will lock many students out of higher education and ultimately harm the state's economy. Research from the American Immigration Council estimates that Texas will lose roughly $461 million annually if the Texas Dream Act is repealed. The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, which on Wednesday filed a motion to intervene in the lawsuit, says that the repeal of the law would prohibit many students from continuing their education. In some cases, tuition costs could increase from $50 per semester credit hour to $455. Texas has about 57,000 undocumented students enrolled in its public universities and colleges, according to the Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, a nonpartisan nonprofit of university leaders focused on immigration policy. These students "are part of Texas' future workforce, contributing over $80 million annually to our higher education system and poised to fill critical roles in key sectors like healthcare, education, and technology," said J.R. Gonzales of the Texas Association of Mexican American Chambers of Commerce, one of more than 80 organizations that have urged Paxton to reverse course. "Removing their access to affordable education will reduce college enrollment, shrink our talent pool, and weaken our state's long-term competitiveness." Datla noted that even the Republican-controlled Texas Legislature did not have the political will to repeal the law. "They understood the economic benefits of the Dream Act," he said. "And yet closed-door negotiations happened to strike that law bad for the many students who wish to pursue their dreams here, and bad for our state economy as a whole." Puente also noted that many of the students that benefited from the law are now public school teachers in Texas. "We know that these students and these people, not only do they produce economically and they are able to buy homes and create businesses and things like that, but in a very real sense, they are subsidizing our public education system with their labor," he said. Datla said that the Texas Legislature could in its next session seek to further control what is taught in universities, noting that a provision that restricted how professors could teach about certain subjects, including race and identity, had been removed from Senate Bill 37. "There's definitely a strong potential that in the next legislative session, we see a reemergence of that, not only that attempt to control structures, but continuing of attempts to control content," he said. The changes in the education landscape efforts to "socially engineer who we are as a state," Puente said. "It's being done in a way that singles out and targets particular people, whether its teachers in defenseless high school students who are just trying to get a college degree. All of this is being done in a very particular and targeted way to eliminate the kinds of dissent that would prevent these actions from happening." 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Newsweek
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
How Texas Is Transforming Education
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The education landscape in Texas is undergoing a massive transformation, with changes set to impact students from K-12 to college. The state will soon implement a $1 billion school voucher program—one of the largest in the country—that will use public dollars to fund private school tuition, which critics have warned will direct resources away from public schools and exclude those with disabilities and low-income households. Earlier this month, lawmakers approved Senate Bill 37, which will give governing boards appointed by the governor new powers to control the curriculum at public higher education institutions and eliminate some degree programs. The legislation marks the latest effort to increase political control of public higher education institutions in Texas, where a ban on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives took effect in January last year. Also this month, a federal judge blocked a Texas law that had given college students without legal residency access to reduced in-state tuition. "This was maybe the most consequential session for public education in the history of Texas, or certainly one of the most consequential sessions," Vivek Datla, regional education policy fellow at the Intercultural Development Research Association, told Newsweek. Photo-illustration by Newsweek/Getty/Canva $1 Billion Voucher Program The voucher program that Governor Greg Abbott signed into law last month will allow Texas families from the 2026 school year to receive $10,000 per year to help pay for students' private school tuition. Children with disabilities can qualify for up to $30,000 a year. Advocates champion vouchers as a way to put parents in control of their children's education, with Abbott saying that it will ensure that Texas families "whose children can no longer be served by the public school assigned to them, have the choice to take their money and find the school that is right for them." But opponents argue that it will drain money from public school and mainly benefit children from wealthier families since voucher payments rarely cover the full cost of sending children to private schools. They also say that unlike public schools, which must accept all students, private schools can be selective about which students they admit, meaning the most vulnerable students are likely to be excluded from taking advantage of the program. Critics have also slammed Texas lawmakers for approving the voucher program while failing to act on a separate bill that would invest $7.7 billion in public education over the next two years. Earlier in the year, lawmakers had pledged that passage of a school voucher bill and public school funding legislation would happen in tandem. "Schools have been dealing with a lack of investment for over six years," Jaime Puente, the director of Economic Opportunity for Every Texan, told Newsweek. "School districts across the state are currently dealing with closures, they're dealing with reduced services. "That lack of investment has been exacerbated and will be exacerbated by the introduction of a third system of education that is entirely unequal, through the voucher program." 'Huge Shift' In How Universities Are Governed Senate Bill 37 shifts some responsibilities traditionally held by professors to political appointees on university governing boards at public colleges and universities. The governing boards will be tasked with reviewing general education curriculum requirements to ensure that courses are necessary to prepare students for civic and professional life, equip them for participation in the workforce and worth the cost. The boards will also have the authority to eliminate courses with low enrolment. The legislation also creates a state ombudsman's office, which will have the power to investigate complaints against institutions and threaten funding if they don't comply with the law. It was approved by the Texas Legislature earlier in June and Abbott has until June 22 to sign it into law. Republican state Representative Matt Shaheen, who co-sponsored the legislation, said the aim was to "provide consistency with respect to our curriculum and the degrees we're offering our students." But the legislation "represents a huge, huge shift in the way that universities are governed and how curriculum decisions and general academic policies will be made" in universities, Datla said. "By shifting curricular authority away from faculty and towards these politically appointed boards, students could lose access to diverse, rigorous and thought-provoking courses," he said. Limiting what can be taught "undermines students' ability to think critically" and "ultimately receive a truly comprehensive education," he said. "Their academic experiences may increasingly reflect political or economic agendas rather than scholarly or student-centered priorities." Cameron Samuels, the executive director of Students Engaged in Advancing Texas who will start a graduate program at the University of Texas next year, told Newsweek that Senate Bill 37 will make students question whether it will worth pursuing higher education in Texas. "Texas is home. It's a place I care about. It's a place I want to thrive in," Samuels said. But legislation Senate Bill 37 "deters people from wanting a Texas education." Others have warned that the legislation could lead to a "brain drain" of students, faculty and researchers—along with their grant funding—from Texas institutions. The Texas American Federation of Teachers reported earlier this month that among the union's membership alone, 40 faculty members have reported leaving Texas because of "legislative attacks." "Hundreds of faculty and students testified to the expected catastrophic impacts of this legislation, from the exodus of top teaching talent to the waning of Texas higher educational institutions' prestige," Zeph Capo, president of the Texas AFT, has said. This bill "represents a fundamental shift in the very things that made our universities attractive," Datla said. "And there's a lot of fear from professors and a lot of fear from students about whether or not they want to continue their work or continue their education here." Striking Down The Texas Dream Act On June 4, U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor struck down the Texas Dream Act, which for more than two decades had given college students without legal residency—"Dreamers"—access to reduced in-state tuition. The ruling came days after the end of the Texas legislative session, during which a repeal bill pushed by group of Republicans was considered but ultimately did not come up for a vote. The Department of Justice sued to block the policy and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a motion agreeing that it should not be enforced, clearing the way for O'Connor to issue an injunction. "Ending this discriminatory and un-American provision is a major victory for Texas," Paxton said following the judge's ruling. The policy was initially passed by sweeping majorities in the state Legislature in 2001 and signed into law by then-Governor Rick Perry, a Republican. But it soon came under fire as debates over illegal immigration ramped up. Still, legislative efforts to repeal the law have repeatedly failed. In the legislative session that ended in early June, a bill to repeal the law did not even get a vote. Supporters of the policy say the ruling will lock many students out of higher education and ultimately harm the state's economy. Research from the American Immigration Council estimates that Texas will lose roughly $461 million annually if the Texas Dream Act is repealed. The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, which on Wednesday filed a motion to intervene in the lawsuit, says that the repeal of the law would prohibit many students from continuing their education. In some cases, tuition costs could increase from $50 per semester credit hour to $455. Texas has about 57,000 undocumented students enrolled in its public universities and colleges, according to the Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, a nonpartisan nonprofit of university leaders focused on immigration policy. These students "are part of Texas' future workforce, contributing over $80 million annually to our higher education system and poised to fill critical roles in key sectors like healthcare, education, and technology," said J.R. Gonzales of the Texas Association of Mexican American Chambers of Commerce, one of more than 80 organizations that have urged Paxton to reverse course. "Removing their access to affordable education will reduce college enrollment, shrink our talent pool, and weaken our state's long-term competitiveness." Datla noted that even the Republican-controlled Texas Legislature did not have the political will to repeal the law. "They understood the economic benefits of the Dream Act," he said. "And yet closed-door negotiations happened to strike that law bad for the many students who wish to pursue their dreams here, and bad for our state economy as a whole." Puente also noted that many of the students that benefited from the law are now public school teachers in Texas. "We know that these students and these people, not only do they produce economically and they are able to buy homes and create businesses and things like that, but in a very real sense, they are subsidizing our public education system with their labor," he said. Datla said that the Texas Legislature could in its next session seek to further control what is taught in universities, noting that a provision that restricted how professors could teach about certain subjects, including race and identity, had been removed from Senate Bill 37. "There's definitely a strong potential that in the next legislative session, we see a reemergence of that, not only that attempt to control structures, but continuing of attempts to control content," he said. The changes in the education landscape efforts to "socially engineer who we are as a state," Puente said. "It's being done in a way that singles out and targets particular people, whether its teachers in defenseless high school students who are just trying to get a college degree. All of this is being done in a very particular and targeted way to eliminate the kinds of dissent that would prevent these actions from happening."
Epoch Times
03-06-2025
- General
- Epoch Times
Texas Bill to Give State Sweeping Oversight of Public University Curricula
A bill that awaits Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's signature would give his appointees unprecedented oversight of the state's public universities, including the power to reject any course they consider ideologically biased or that doesn't align with workforce demands. Senate Bill 37, which advanced to the governor's desk on June 2, would establish a state-level committee tasked with recommending which courses should be required for graduation. It would also significantly empower each public university system's board of regents, whose members are appointed by the governor.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Bill OBoyle: Paul Miller's Law really is about saving lives
Jun. 1—WILKES-BARRE — PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll this week said Paul Miller's Law is about saving lives. Carroll is absolutely correct — if, and only if, people listen to what he said. And to what Paul Miller Jr.'s mother has said over and over again since her son was killed as a result of a distracted driver. And trust me on this, Eileen Miller's advocacy is not over — she will always fight to convince all drivers to not text and drive and she will also advocate for stronger penalties for those who refuse to comply. "Your choices behind the wheel can change lives forever," Carroll said. "Make the safe choice. Put your phone out of reach and don't text and drive. One text, one glance down — it could kill someone. And it's not worth it." Paul Miller's Law takes effect on Thursday , June 5 — making it illegal to use a hand-held cell phone while driving. Gov. Josh Shapiro signed Senate Bill 37 into law on June 5, 2024 — and now, one year later, Paul Miller's Law goes into effect to prohibit the use of hand-held devices while driving, even while stopped temporarily due to traffic, a red light or other momentary delay. Under Paul Miller's Law, drivers can still use their phones to alert emergency responders and — if they are using hands-free technology — to make phone calls, use a GPS and listen to music. The law is named for Paul Miller Jr., who was tragically killed in a crash with a tractor-trailer in 2010 in Monroe County, as the result of a distracted driver who reached for their phone while driving. Since his death, Paul's mother Eileen Miller has become a national advocate for stronger laws to curb distracted driving. Listen to how this devastating news would inspire Paul's mom to become the loudest voice advocating for drivers to use common sense behind the wheel. She never wants any other parent to experience what she and her husband, Pail Sr., have endured. "Nearly 15 years ago, two Dunmore state troopers knocked on my door to tell me that my son was killed," said Mrs. Miller. "My son did everything right — he was killed by someone else's unsafe choices behind the wheel. This law is for every family in Pennsylvania that doesn't have to experience two state troopers knocking on their door to tell them that their loved one was killed by distracted driving. Paul Miller's Law will be a beacon of protection for every driver and passenger in Pennsylvania." PSP Commissioner Colonel Christopher Paris said the Pennsylvania State Police will enforce the new law to its full extent. "Distracted driving is not a minor offense," Col. Paris said. "Just one second of inattention can result in irreversible consequences. We urge all drivers to stay focused behind the wheel." According to PennDOT data, in 2024 there were 9,950 crashes involving a distracted driver, resulting in more than 6,000 injuries and 49 fatalities. Distracted driving crash data, however, is believed to be under-reported due to many drivers' reluctance to admit to being distracted at the time of a crash. Safe driving tips —If you are expecting a text message or need to send one that can't wait, pull over and park your car in a safe location before using your device. —Ask a passenger to be your "designated texter." Allow them access to your phone to respond to calls or messages. —Do not engage in social media scrolling or messaging while driving. —Cell phone use is habit-forming. Struggling to not text and drive? Activate your phone's "do not disturb" feature, silence notifications or put your phone in the trunk, glove box or back seat of your vehicle until you arrive at your destination. Cell phone use is not the only distraction while driving. Anything that takes your attention away from driving, your eyes off the road or your hands off the wheel is a distraction. Driver behavior is the leading factor in 83% of the crashes that occur annually in Pennsylvania. These behaviors include driving distracted, impaired or aggressive. For information on distracted driving, visit As Carroll said, and as Eileen Miller passionately believes, Paul Miller's law will save lives. That should be enough for all drivers to obey this law. Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.
