{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cotton-kaine-introduce-bill-to-study-effects-of-cellphones-in-schools", "Cotton, Kaine Introduce Bill to Study Effects of Cellphones in Schools", "2023-11-09", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "Senate", "AR", "Tom Cotton", "C001095", "www.cotton.senate.gov", "cotton", "https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "Contact: Caroline Tabler or James Arnold (202) 224-2353\n\nNovember 9, 2023\n\nCotton, Kaine Introduce Bill to Study Effects of Cellphones in Schools\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2014 Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) and Senator Tim Kaine (D-Virginia) today introduced the Focus on Learning Act, legislation that would require the U.S. Department of Education to complete a study on the effects of cellphone use in K-12 classrooms on students\u2019 mental health and academic performance.\n\n\u201cWidespread use of cell phones in schools are at best a distraction for young Americans; at worst, they expose schoolchildren to content that is harmful and addictive. Our legislation will make schools remain centers of learning,\u201d said Senator Cotton.\n\n\u201cWe\u2019ve made a lot of progress in our recovery from the depths of the pandemic. But there\u2019s much more work to be done to help students overcome learning loss and excel in the classroom. That includes looking into how cellphone use in schools is impacting students\u2019 mental health and their ability to learn. This bill would help us do that, by gathering information and providing it to schools as they grapple with students\u2019 use of cellphones in class and how to best set them up for success,\u201d said Senator Kaine, who serves on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.\n\nText of the legislation may be found here.\n\nBackground:\n\nThe study would include insights from a pilot program, also established by the legislation, to provide schools with secure containers for students to store phones during school hours.\n\nThe bill authorizes $5 million annually for the next five years for that pilot program.\n\nIn the selection of pilot programs, ED will gather input from parents, students, and educators.\n\nThe pilot program will allow exceptions for students with health conditions, disabilities, and non-English speakers.\n\nSchools participating in the pilot program will have a communication system in place that allows teachers, administrators, and staff to communicate with local emergency responders.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:01:09Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cotton-kaine-introduce-bill-to-study-effects-of-cellphones-in-schools"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7690729107707739, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}