CT lawmakers drop school cellphone ban on final day of session
Gov. Ned Lamont pushed for a statewide "bell-to-bell" ban on mobile devices in schools. But state senators said the controversial proposal doesn't have enough support to pass with hours to spare.
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Connecticut will not impose a statewide ban on cellphones in schools after all.
Lawmakers dropped Gov. Ned Lamont’s controversial proposal just hours before their session ends at midnight.
It’s just one of the many last-minute moves in the General Assembly’s frantic final hours.
CELL PHONE BAN DEAD?
Lamont proposed an all-day “bell-to-bell” ban on mobile devices in schools.
“Look, the classroom is not enough because the second they get out of the classroom, they’re on the phone in the hallway,” Lamont told News 12 Connecticut’s “Power and Politics.” “It’s tough to enforce. Let’s get the phones out of the schools.”
The governor’s proposal deeply divided parents, educators and lawmakers.
“It is a constant distraction and a constant struggle for staff,” Putnam Public Schools Superintendent Steven Rioux told legislators in February. “The addiction that many of our children are facing is this generation’s crisis.”
But some students raised safety concerns.
“A few months ago, my 16-year-old brother was sitting in his classroom when a bullet was discovered in his classroom. His high school immediately went into a full lockdown,” said Maebel Haynes, of Litchfield. “The school provided inconsistent and delayed information.”
Lamont’s legislation passed the Connecticut House of Representatives, but Senate leaders said they would not call it for a vote.
“Senators on both sides of the aisle have raised serious concerns about the bill’s impact on the ability of local school districts to set classroom policies that best suit the needs of their communities,” said Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk). “Given the limited time left in the legislative session, we were not able to reach the consensus needed to bring the bill to the floor. This is not the end of the conversation.”
But as the session wound down, Lamont was still lobbying for a vote.
“We really hope that Senate leadership can get the Governor’s cell phone bill over the finish line today,” Cathryn Vaulman, Lamont’s communications director, said in a statement. “There is strong evidence that this bill would support improved emotional well-being, attention, engagement, and performance for our students, and we heard from many districts who wanted to see this done at the state level.”
New York and 30 other states have similar restrictions, although some allow phones in high schools.
“It's a very tough call. Is it a mandate or should it be local control?” said Connecticut House Speaker Matt Ritter (D-Hartford). “There’s certainly an argument to be made for local control. There are many people who made it on the floor of the House.”
GLOCK RESTRICTIONS PASS
On the final day, senators did hand Lamont a major legislative victory.
They passed his ban on the sale of Glock handguns and other “convertible pistols” after an all-night session. The bill passed at 7:15 a.m.
“When you take a bill as controversial as the gun bill, that didn't get any support in the House, and you call it at 3 a.m., what do you think is going happen?” said Connecticut House GOP Vin Candelora (R-North Branford).
The new law is a response to “Glock switches,” a small piece of metal or plastic than allows a pistol to fire up to 1,000 rounds per minute. While Glock is not singled-out in the legislation, the company's simplified firing assembly makes it uniquely susceptible to tampering.
“It’s any pistol manufacturer that creates a gun that can be easily converted into a machine gun,” Lamont said in April. “If there’s one manufacturer in particular that’s much more at risk there, clean up your act.”
Owners could keep their existing handguns – and sell them.
"If you currently own a Glock, nobody is coming to confiscate it. It's not illegal to own your Glock," Stafstrom said. “No one who currently has a Glock is going to have to get rid of that gun.”
Republicans argued that the ban won’t work, noting that Glock switches are already illegal but show up on the streets anyway.
“All of my semi-automatic long guns are capable of being converted. None of them have been,” said state Rep. Craig Fishbein (R-Wallingford). “To point the finger at individuals that lawfully own firearms that are possibly able of conversion, I don’t think is a proper public policy.”
The National Rifle Association is challenging a similar law in California. New York and several other states are considering bans of Glock sales, and Sen. Richard Blumenthal is pushing for more money for the ATF in Congress.
“ABSENTEE VOTING FOR ALL”
All voters could cast absentee ballots under a bill expected to receive final approval Wednesday evening. Currently, residents need a specific excuse – such as being sick, in the military or out of town – to receive an absentee ballot.
Voters cleared the way with an amendment to the state constitution in 2024.
“I have young kids and I’m running around and if I get the chance to just drop my vote, it's important,” said Kim Luppino, a voter from Wilton.
Connecticut’s top elections official asked lawmakers to wait two years so they can address staffing concerns and issues surrounding the Bridgeport ballot scandal.
Nearly a dozen campaign operatives – including several city council members – face hundreds of ballot tampering charges related to the 2019 and 2023 elections.
“Expanding absentee voting while leaving the circulator system unchanged – particularly if unsolicited absentee ballot applications may be mailed without clear requirements governing circulator conduct – risks increasing voter confusion and creating opportunities for bad actors to misrepresent their role in the absentee voting process,” Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas wrote.
The new law also bans federal immigration agents from within 250 feet of a polling location.
“FLEX LANES” AND DIESEL BUSES
Overnight, lawmakers also approved dynamic “flex lanes,” which use existing highway shoulders to add an extra lane during heavy congestion – and can even switch direction based on the time of day.
“Flex Lanes are used in several other states and are a low-cost strategy with minimal change in infrastructure needed,” said Connecticut Department of Transportation spokesperson Josh Morgan. “Flex lanes do not add to any capacity or create new infrastructure; rather, they maximize the efficiency of existing roadway space to restore and maintain the flow of traffic, reducing delays.”
The first flex lane is slated for Interstate 84 between exits 3 and 7 in Danbury. It would carry traffic westbound (toward New York) in the morning and eastbound (toward Brookfield and Waterbury) in the evening.
A trip now averaging 31 minutes could drop to just eight minutes, according to DOT estimates.
The legislation also relaxes all-electric bus fleet requirements as the state and local school systems grapple with rising costs.
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