Latest news with #cellphoneban
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
The week ahead: Hot button bills face lawmakers in final, regular week of business
The final week of regular business for the New Hampshire Legislature features showdown debates on many top issues, from parental rights and mandatory prison terms for drug dealers, to a 'bell-to-bell' ban on cellphone use in public schools and universal access to Education Freedom Accounts (EFAs). While much of the attention at the State House will be on the finishing touches to a proposed two-year state budget in the Senate, lawmakers face a Thursday deadline for final action on all other bills. Once they clear those decks, the closing weeks of the session will come down to the work of committees of conference to be named to thrash out differences between competing versions of the same bill. Gov. Kelly Ayotte has listed parental rights as a priority issue for her to achieve in 2025 and the House and Senate each have their own versions (HB 10 and SB 72) to debate this week. The real battle is in the House where House Child and Family Law Committee Chair Debra DeSimone, R-Atkinson, has crafted a compromise said to have the backing of Senate GOP leaders. DeSimone defended the most controversial provision that could prevent minors from being able to obtain contraception without parental consent. 'Disastrous consequences' 'No children should ever be prescribed any medical procedures or medication without parental consent to protect all children from undue and unnecessary harm by parental knowledge and information provided concerning family history,' DeSimone said. 'This bill is necessary to continue to build a strong, healthy society.' Rep. Heather Raymond, D-Nashua, said such a policy could have disastrous consequences. 'In states like Texas which now require parental permission for birth control, teen pregnancy rates have increased along with the rates of maternal and infant death,' said Raymond, noting that New Hampshire has the lowest teen birth rate in the U.S. House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Chairman Terry Roy, R-Deerfield, has reworked a bill (SB 14) that also has Ayotte's backing to impose longer minimum mandatory prison sentences for possessing large amounts of fentanyl or selling drugs that cause someone's death. 'It's time for New Hampshire to reclaim its place in New England as the state that dealers fear to tread,' Roy said. Roy's proposal would allow a judge to impose a more lenient sentence if the offender met several conditions including a clean record prior to this latest conviction. 'Under this bill, if a defendant is cooperative with law enforcement, not a leader in a drug dealing organization, does not have a recent conviction for the same thing, and the charges do not involve violence, a judge is free to use their discretion,' Roy said. Rep. Buzz Scherr, D-Portsmouth and an appellate law expert, said the bill is a political talking point, not an answer to dealing with deadly overdoses. 'Mandatory minimums for fentanyl continue to have a superficial political attraction as an easy solution, but, they always fail in practice,' Scherr said. 'We do not need to spend even more money on prisons for a solution that doesn't work.' Firearms training in public schools Roy championed another sweeping and controversial provision, adopting a mandatory one-hour firearms training course in K-12. A former police officer, Roy attached his provision as an amendment to an unrelated bill (SB 54) that would increase the penalty for someone accused of driving drunk who refuses to take a blood alcohol test. The House and Senate will each vote on two bills (SB 295 and HB 115) allowing all families regardless of income to receive a taxpayer-paid scholarship to help offset their student attending a private, religious, alternative public or home school program The House is likely to approve Ayotte's approach to cellphone use, which is to direct school boards to adopt policies that restrict access throughout the school day (SB 206). Both the House and Senate have passed versions of a more lenient reform that would give school boards more latitude on when they would be accessible. Democrats on the House Finance Committee oppose this latest idea because Republicans rejected their attempt to carve out an exemption for any teacher who wanted to incorporate cellphone use into a specific lesson plan. In other actions: • Mandatory mask policies (HB 361): The Senate is likely to pass this House-endorsed bill to block school districts from requiring mask wearing; former Gov. Chris Sununu vetoed an identical bill last year; • Capital budget (HB 25): The Senate will vote on its version of a two-year budget for public works projects financed by state, federal and fee-backed bonds. • Risk pools (SB 297): Secretary of State David Scanlan opposes and HealthTrust, the largest risk pool, supports this bill to allow either regulation by Scanlan or the Insurance Department of these programs that offer health, property or liability insurance to governmental units. klandrigan@
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Bill that would ban cellphones in Texas public schools heads to Gov. Greg Abbott's desk
A bill banning Texas K-12 students from using cellphones in school is headed to Gov. Greg Abbott's desk, with local school districts set to decide how the new rule will be applied. House Bill 1481, introduced by Rep. Caroline Fairly of Amarillo, seeks to restrict the use of 'personal wireless communication devices' in K-12 schools. The Texas Senate passed it unanimously on Sunday. It also received overwhelming support in the House, which voted 136-10 to approve it in April. Under the bill, students will not be allowed to use their cellphones during the school day. School districts will decide where students can store their phones, such as secure pouches, lockers, charging stations or backpacks. The policy also requires schools to have disciplinary actions in place for students who break the rules, including the possibility of confiscating their phones. Students who need their phones for medical or safety reasons will be allowed to keep them. If signed by the governor, the bill will become law on Sept. 1. Texas would join several other states that already enforce similar policies, including California, Florida, Minnesota, Indiana, Ohio, Arkansas, Louisiana, Virginia and South Carolina. Another 26 states have proposed bans, and some Texas school districts have already put the policy in place. Supporters of the ban argue that cellphones are a major distraction in the classroom and can hurt students' mental health. Research supports this, indicating that excessive phone use can interfere with students' ability to focus and engage in class. Fairly, the only Gen Z member of the Texas House, said she understands firsthand the negative impact of social media on students. 'When you see what is being pushed on social media and the distraction it causes in the classroom, there is a need for our government to support our educators,' she told The Texas Tribune in March. Another common argument in favor of the bill is the potential to reduce bullying. According to Pew Research, 44% of K-12 parents who support the ban cite a decrease in cyberbullying as a major reason. Critics worry that banning phones could make it harder for parents to communicate with their children during the school day. Others are concerned about student safety, arguing that in an emergency, students should be able to access their phones to call for help. First round of TribFest speakers announced! Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Maureen Dowd; U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio; Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker; U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff, D-California; and U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas are taking the stage Nov. 13–15 in Austin. Get your tickets today!
Fox News
3 days ago
- Health
- Fox News
Youngkin signs Virginia law limiting 'bell-to-bell' cellphone use in public schools
Print Close By Deirdre Heavey Published May 30, 2025 Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed a bill into law Friday limiting cellphone use for all Virginia public elementary, middle and high school students. Youngkin, who built his political career championing parents' rights in education, ceremoniously signed two versions of the bill, HB1961 and SB738, at the Carter G. Woodson Middle School in Hopewell, Virginia. Youngkin said it was a fitting location for a day filled with such "hope." "When we come together — elected officials, administrators, teachers, parents and all of you — we can move mountains, and we can change something that needs to be changed, and that is to find freedom, freedom from cellphones," said Youngkin, who was flanked by his wife, Virginia first lady Suzanne S. Youngkin; public school students; education advocates; and local politicians. "We come together in order to move a mountain," Youngkin said, as he highlighted the negative effect of cellphones in schools on mental illness, conduct in class, academic performance and interpersonal relationships. TEENS SPEND MORE THAN A QUARTER OF THEIR TIME AT SCHOOL ON PHONES, NEW STUDY FINDS The bill strictly limits the use of phones in classrooms to reduce distractions and disruptions, codifying Youngkin's executive order signed last year "to protect the health and safety of students in Virginia's K-12 public schools by issuing guidance on the establishment of cellphone-free education policies and procedures." DC COUNCIL PROPOSES BILL TO BAN CELLPHONES IN DISTRICT'S PUBLIC SCHOOLS "We are building on the foundation laid by Executive Order 33 to make Virginia the national leader in restoring focus, academic excellence in the classroom and restoring health and safety in our schools. This legislation ensures that every school division adopts a full bell-to-bell policy and removes cellphones from classrooms, creating a distraction-free learning environment," Youngkin said as he signed the bill into law. Research indicates using cellphones in the classroom can have a negative effect on students' grades, social skills, emotional development and mental health. In a 2024 Pew Research Center study, more than 70% of high school teachers said cellphones distracting students in the classroom is a major problem. "This wasn't just an issue. It's a crisis. And when we have a crisis, we have a unified call for action, and that's what this gathering is all about, this unified call for action," Youngkin said Friday. Hopewell City Public Schools adopted a "pouch system" in its secondary schools at the start of the 2022-2023 school year, which has been used as a case study and potential model for the Virginia Department of Education's cellphone-free education rollout. "I want to add my appreciation for Hopewell's leadership because it was your leadership that inspired the executive order that I wrote last summer," Youngkin said. The statewide legislation requires school boards to develop and public schools to enact policies to restrict student cellphone use during the school day. The law includes exceptions for students with individualized education plans, Section 504 plans or health conditions, so cellphones can be used when medically necessary. The law also prohibits schools from suspending, expelling or removing students from class for violating cellphone policies. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Florida became the first state to pass a law regulating cellphone use in schools in 2023. More than half of all states now have similar laws in place. Print Close URL
CBS News
3 days ago
- General
- CBS News
DeSantis signs bill expanding cellphone restrictions in Florida schools
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed a bill that will expand a restriction on cellphone use in Florida schools. The bill (HB 1105), which was approved by the legislature on May 2, revises the law that has prevented students from using cellphones during instructional time. The bill will prohibit cellphone use throughout the school day in elementary and middle schools. It also will create a pilot program in six counties that will prevent cellphone use in high schools throughout the school day. Charter school funding and conversion changes The House voted 85-14 to pass the bill, which includes a series of education issues, while the Senate approved it in a 26-5 vote. The bill also will make changes that could help charter schools. For instance, it will require that charter schools get a cut if school districts receive sales-tax money through what is known as a local-government infrastructure surtax. Charter schools would receive proportionate shares based on school enrollment. Also, the bill will make it easier to convert traditional public schools to charter schools. Currently, such conversions must receive support from a majority of parents and a majority of teachers. The bill, which will take effect July 1, removes the requirement for teacher support.
CBS News
24-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Florida bills on student cellphone ban, dog abuse during hurricanes head to DeSantis' desk
Florida lawmakers on Friday formally sent a pair of bills to Gov. Ron DeSantis, including a proposal to restrict student cellphone use and another aimed at strengthening penalties for animal cruelty during natural disasters. One of the measures, part of a broader education bill (HB 1105), would prohibit elementary and middle school students from using cellphones during the entire school day — not just during instructional time, as current law mandates. The bill also authorizes a pilot program in six counties to enforce the same restriction at the high school level. "Trooper's Law" would create new felony for animal cruelty in disasters The second bill (SB 150) would create a third-degree felony offense for restraining a dog outdoors during a natural disaster. Lawmakers crafted the proposal after a dog was found last year tied to a fence along Interstate 75 during Hurricane Milton. The animal was discovered surrounded by floodwater by a Florida Highway Patrol trooper. Dubbed "Trooper's Law," the bill honors the trooper who rescued the dog. The dog was later taken in by the Tallahassee Humane Society and adopted. If signed into law, both measures would take effect later this year.
