(Central Square) – On Monday, the deeply divided state House gave final approval to a bill requiring school districts to prohibit students from using cell phones during the school day, with exceptions.
The case divided lawmakers across parties. Lawmakers who are parents said the issue was discussed in their homes. The originator of the bill, a Democrat Rep. Mandy Steele of Allegheny County said in an interview before the voting session that cellphone apply in schools is contributing to a “massive public health crisis” in which “children’s brains are not developing normally.”
The vote for approval was 126 to 75, splitting both sides.
Twenty Democrats joined 55 Republicans in voting against the bill. Democrats’ “no” votes included: Rep. Maureen Madden from Monroe County, who said that until schools were made sheltered, she wanted children to have cellphones so they could call for assist or “just say goodbye.”
The vote took place on the first day of session for both the House and Senate in nearly four weeks, with just 29 days until the June 30 budget deadline. Legislators and administration Governor Josh Shapiro are struggling with a budget deficit estimated at over $5 billion. A major unresolved issue is whether to regulate and tax so-called “skill games” – a move that Shapiro estimates could generate $2 billion in up-to-date revenue.
Republican Senator Gene Yaw from Lycoming County, who has introduced legislation on the issue and has an arcade game development facility in his district, said the years-long discussions about arcade games in Harrisburg have turned into a political game.
“We don’t think about how this will benefit the people of Pennsylvania,” Yaw said. “That’s sad.”
Shapiro, Democrat and Senate Republican Leader Joe Pittman in Indiana County have said little publicly about the direction of the discussions. The math behind Shapiro’s budget proposal was based on legalizing gaming using a 52% tax rate.
John Getzstate adjutant of the Veterans of Foreign Wars organization, called the 52% figure “scandalous.” Many clubs, he said, depend heavily on unregulated matches for revenue.
“So the question is, will some clubs close if they are subject to high taxes? The answer is yes,” Getz said.
Meanwhile, the mobile telephony bill passed by the House on Monday will now go to the Senate for consideration. This House has already passed the “cell phone ban” in schools bill sponsored by Republicans His. Devlin Robinson Allegheny County, but the language in the bill was significantly different than the language currently contained in the Steele Act.
Robinson’s bill is pending before the House Appropriations Committee.
Steele’s bill calls for school districts to adopt policies that limit student possession of cell phones during the school day, but it does not require students to have cell phones during the day. Exceptions include students who have medical conditions or are on individualized education programs, as well as those who are learning English and apply the telephone to obtain language assistance.
The Republican described the bill as a “one-size-fits-all bill” that disrupts local control Rep. Natalie Mihalek of Allegheny County, who concluded her remarks with a reference to her own children and the debate taking place in her own home. She said her message to them was: “Mom voted no.”
A teacher with 30 years of experience, a Democrat Rep. Nikki Rivera of Lancaster County said the bill “is keeping me up at night.” She criticized the number of exceptions and stated that she did not like that high school students were lumped in with the rest.
Nevertheless, she voted in favor of it.
Republican Rep. Russ Diamond of Lebanon County was adamant in addressing his colleagues and Speaker of the House of Representatives Joanna McClinton.
“These devices have no place – no place, Madam Speaker – in the formal education process.”
Ford Turner reports from Pennsylvania for The Center Square
