LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – A bill that would limit the use of cellphones in K-12 schools failed to pass in the Michigan House July 24.
The bill.
Rep. Mark Tisdel (R-Rochester Hills) introduced House Bill 4141 Feb. 26. During Whitmer’s 2025 State of the State address that day, she called for bipartisan collaboration to limit phones in classrooms.
MORE NEWS: Michigan Woman Makes History with Breakthrough Cancer Therapy
“We’ve seen encouraging data about how commonsense restrictions on phone use during class lead to more learning and less bullying,” Whitmer said in the address. “Kids listen, raise their hands, and make more friends. They talk during field trips. Three-quarters say they feel happy or peaceful without their phone. That’s what school should be about.”
Democrats’ response.
But zero Democrats voted in favor of the bill. Tisdel claimed Democrats voted against it due to politics.
“This defeat had nothing to do with the merits of the bill,” Tisdel said in a press release. “We tried working with Democrat lawmakers, made changes to accommodate their concerns, even used language provided by the governor’s office. We had an agreement with the governor and Senate Democrats, but the House Democrats decided to play games and vote no.”
Several Democrats who once voiced their support for the bill turned against it on the House floor last week. Rep. Regina Weiss, D-Oak Park, voted in favor of the bill during a committee meeting, but flipped her stance for the full House vote despite no additional changes to the bill.
Rep. Noah Arbit, D-West Bloomfield, also said he supported the bill, but when it came time to cast his ballot, he voted “no.”
“I have to agree with Representative Tisdel; I think his bill, his legislation – I commend him for introducing that legislation – is good legislation,” Arbit said in an April 29 episode of The Pulse. “I would like to see it passed in the state House, I would like to see it passed in the state Senate and signed by the governor.”
Benefits of banning cellphones.
MORE NEWS: From Free Glock to BBQ for Life: Northern Michigan Honors Walmart Heroes
A few schools in Michigan have already banned cellphones, according to Tisdel.
“Discipline problems dropped significantly, and the hallways are louder because students are talking to each other more instead of getting sucked into their phones,” he said.
What happened with this bill is a tell-tale sign of the current dynamic in Lansing, Tisdel said. This was the Republican member’s second attempt to pass legislation that would limit the use of cellphones in classrooms.