The Michigan Senate on Thursday passed legislation restricting student cell phone use during all instructional time. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)

House Democrats initially opposed a measure to ban cell phone usage in K-12 late last year, but a renewed set of cell phone ban bills is on track to clear the finish line after Republican lawmakers were able to forge a deal and got Democrats on board.

The Michigan Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly passed Senate Bill 495 and its House Bill 4141 companion, restricting student cell phone use during all instructional time.

The House last week passed its version of the bills with Democrats on board this time. That was not the case when the bill came before the chamber last year, killed at the height of a contentious budget season.

There were murmurs of a deal between leading Republican proponent Rep. Mark Tisdel, R-Rochester Hills, who told Michigan Advance last year that he and Sen. Dayna Polehanki, D-Livonia, had an understanding of how to get the bills to the governor’s office in a bipartisan manner. Polehanki denied that was the case after Democrats voted against the measure in the House last year and Republicans couldn’t muster the votes to save it.

Fast forward to the opening salvo of this year’s Senate and House sessions: Tisdel tried again and the HB 4141 passed 99-10 on Jan. 14, and was sent to the Senate for swift consideration.

The Senate passed Tisdel’s bill 34-1 on Thursday, as well as Polehanki’s SB 495, which passed by the same margin.

In a statement, Polehanki said she and Tisdel were able to forge a compromise last week.

“As a former teacher, I know firsthand how much student cell phone use impedes the ability to focus and learn in the classroom. While my legislative colleagues and I have long agreed that addressing this issue is critical for Michigan kids, we’ve had to work together across the aisle to find common ground on a bicameral solution that best meets the needs of our schools — and I’m proud that we’ve successfully been able to do just that,” said Polehanki, chair of the Senate Education Committee, in a statement.

Polehanki added that passage was “a win that will not only make a positive difference in our classrooms but also show the people of Michigan that despite our political differences, we can come together and deliver bipartisan solutions to the problems facing our state.”

The Senate version now moves to the House for a vote, while the House bill moves to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s desk. However, the bills are tie-barred, so the Senate bill needs to clear the House before Whitmer can sign the package into law.

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