HB0525 — County Boards of Education - Student Electronic Communication Device Use Policy - Establishment (Joanne C. Benson Maryland Phone-Free Schools Act)
Last action — Committee Report (House of Origin) — Favorable with Amendments
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✓Introduced
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✓In Committee
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✓Passed House of Delegates
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✓Passed Senate
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✓To Executive
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6Enacted
This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced January 27, 2026. Enacted.
Odds of enactment
High chanceBased on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a high chance of becoming law.
Upgrade to see the exact probability and what's driving it.
A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.
Prognosis
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Enacted
Current position in the legislative process.
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17 sponsors
1 primary, 16 co-sponsors signed on.
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Bipartisan support
Sponsored across 2 parties (13 D · 3 R) — cross-party backing.
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Cleared a recorded vote
Passed 3 recorded votes so far.
Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.
In plain language
The bill requires schools to establish policies limiting student use of electronic communication devices during the school day.
This bill mandates that county boards of education create rules to limit the use of certain electronic devices by students during school hours. Exceptions are included for students needing devices for disability accommodations or specific health and caregiving needs.
What this means for you
- Families: This means families can expect a more focused learning environment for their children while ensuring those with special needs are accommodated.
Summary
Requiring each county board of education to develop and implement, by the 2027-2028 school year, a policy prohibiting the use of certain electronic communication devices by a student during the academic school day; and prohibiting the policy from restricting the use of an electronic communication device for purposes of accommodations related to a disability, including for any purpose in a student's individual education program, to address a documented health issue, to access language translation tools, or to meet caregiving responsibilities.
Bill Text
We don't have the full text on file for this bill yet.
Read HB0525 on the official Maryland source →Action History
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Committee Report (House of Origin) — Favorable with Amendments
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Third Reading (House of Origin) — Passed
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Second Reading (House of Origin) — Passed with Amendments
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First Reading (Opposite House)
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Hearing (Primary, House of Origin)
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First Reading (House of Origin)
Sponsors
- Delegate Adrian Boafo · Primary
- Delegate Chao Wu · Cosponsor
- Delegate Sarah Wolek · Cosponsor
- Delegate Aaron M. Kaufman · Cosponsor
- Delegate Gabriel M. Moreno · Cosponsor
- Delegate Matthew J. Schindler · Cosponsor
- Delegate Jared Solomon · Cosponsor
- Delegate Kym Taylor · Cosponsor
- Delegate Eric Ebersole · Cosponsor
- Delegate Mike Griffith · Cosponsor
- Delegate Wayne A. Hartman · Cosponsor
- Delegate Kevin B. Hornberger · Cosponsor
- R. Long · Cosponsor
- Delegate Bernice Mireku-North · Cosponsor
- Delegate Edith J. Patterson · Cosponsor
- Delegate Joe Vogel · Cosponsor
- Delegate Greg Wims · Cosponsor
Sponsorship breakdown
Export CSV (upgrade) →1 sponsors · 16 co-sponsors · 171 not signed on
Sponsors (1)
- Delegate Adrian Boafo Democrat
Co-sponsors (16)
- Delegate Chao Wu Democrat
- Delegate Sarah Wolek Democrat
- Delegate Aaron M. Kaufman Democrat
- Delegate Gabriel M. Moreno Democrat
- Delegate Matthew J. Schindler Democrat
- Delegate Jared Solomon Democrat
- Delegate Kym Taylor Democrat
- Delegate Eric Ebersole Democrat
- Delegate Mike Griffith Republican
- Delegate Wayne A. Hartman Republican
- Delegate Kevin B. Hornberger Republican
- Long, R.
- Delegate Bernice Mireku-North Democrat
- Delegate Edith J. Patterson Democrat
- Delegate Joe Vogel Democrat
- Delegate Greg Wims Democrat
Not signed on (171)
171 members have not signed on to this bill.
Show all 171 →"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.
Votes
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 11 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Democrat | 88 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Republican | 31 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Total | 130 | 1 | 0 | 10 |
| % of votes cast | 92% | 1% | 0% | 7% |
How each member voted (141)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democrat | 23 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Unaffiliated | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Republican | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 41 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| % of votes cast | 87% | 0% | 0% | 13% |
How each member voted (47)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Democrat | 90 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Republican | 33 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 135 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| % of votes cast | 96% | 1% | 0% | 4% |
How each member voted (141)
Subjects
Frequently asked questions
- What does HB0525 do?
- Requiring each county board of education to develop and implement, by the 2027-2028 school year, a policy prohibiting the use of certain electronic communication devices by a student during the academic school day; and prohibiting the policy from restricting the use of an electronic communication device for purposes of accommodations related to a disability, including for any purpose in a student's individual education program, to address a documented health issue, to access language translation tools, or to meet caregiving responsibilities.
- Who sponsors HB0525?
- HB0525 is sponsored by Delegate Adrian Boafo (Democrat), Delegate Chao Wu (Democrat), Delegate Sarah Wolek (Democrat), Delegate Aaron M. Kaufman (Democrat), Delegate Gabriel M. Moreno (Democrat), Delegate Matthew J. Schindler (Democrat), Delegate Jared Solomon (Democrat), Delegate Kym Taylor (Democrat), Delegate Eric Ebersole (Democrat), Delegate Mike Griffith (Republican), Delegate Wayne A. Hartman (Republican), Delegate Kevin B. Hornberger (Republican), Long, R., Delegate Bernice Mireku-North (Democrat), Delegate Edith J. Patterson (Democrat), Delegate Joe Vogel (Democrat), and Delegate Greg Wims (Democrat).
- What is the current status of HB0525?
- This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced January 27, 2026. Enacted.
- Where can I track HB0525?
- Track HB0525 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.
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Last checked for changes 1 day ago · updated continuously
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