Now in his final year in office, Gov. Phil Murphy on Tuesday used his latest State of the State address to call for a ban on cellphones in New Jersey’s classrooms, an idea that has gained national attention to improve students’ concentration and mental health.
The Democratic governor also wants to let state workers receive their full pay when they use the state’s parental leave program to take care of a new child.
And he proposed expanding full-day pre-K in the Garden State, making roads safer for pedestrians and rewriting farmland property assessment laws that “allow the wealthiest among us to avoid paying their fair share.”
With growing concern over the effect social media and smart phone use has had on students’ mental health, some school districts have already taken steps to limit cellphone access.
Murphy wants a ban on cellphone use in grades K-12 for all public schools in the state.
“Today, our children are inundated with screens,” the governor said during his annual speech, delivered to a joint session of the state Legislature at the Statehouse in Trenton.
“And if you ask just about any educator, they will tell you that mobile devices are a distraction in the classroom. They are fueling a rise in cyberbullying. And they are making it incredibly difficult for our kids, not only to learn, but to retain the substance of what they learn.”
“So today, I am officially announcing my support for a new proposal that will direct school districts across New Jersey to adopt policies that ban cellphones from our K-12 classrooms and help establish phone-free schools.”
Laying out a lengthy list of goals in his next-to-last State of the State address, Murphy said his final year would be ambitious, arguing New Jersey is “ready for our greatest chapter yet.”
“We have unleashed a new era of economic opportunity — by raising wages for working New Jerseyans and bringing new industries and new jobs to every corner of our state," he said. “And though we have come far over the past seven years, let me be absolutely clear: Our jobs are not done. Not by a long shot.”
Murphy also defended the record spending his administration has made during the last seven years, even as the governor and lawmakers prepare to navigate what is expected to be a rough state budget due in July.
Republicans on Tuesday were prepared to challenge Murphy’s narrative, suggesting the state is unaffordable to many and headed for a fiscal cliff.
Here’s a closer look at the big plans Murphy detailed in his speech:
Gov. Phil Murphy delivers the latest State of the State address at the Statehouse in Trenton on Tuesday.Ed Murray| For NJ Advance Media
CELLPHONES IN THE CLASSROOM
Suspending cellphone use in school is not a new idea in New Jersey or nationally.
Last week, Ramsey High School began requiring students to store their devices in lockable pouches during the school day. Over the summer, the K-12 Cherry Hill Public Schools district banned the use of wireless communications devices during instructional periods.
On Tuesday, the 40-member state Senate passed a bill (S3695) that would require the state Department of Education to develop a model policy that school districts in New Jersey could follow if they wish that would restrict cellphone usage during the school day. The vote was 36-0.
The policy would prohibit non-academic use of cellphones and social media during classroom instruction, take into account age- and grade-level differences and allow exemptions for special education students who need cellphones to enable their learning.
“Honestly, is it any surprise that the rise in smartphone usage has coincided with a growing youth mental health crisis?” Murphy asked. “Of course not. And I, for one, am not going to sit back as our kids suffer.”
The cellphone ban proposal was greeted with bipartisan fervor. Republicans who had withheld applause for most of the speech rose and clapped when Murphy announced it.
Across the nation, California, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana Minnesota, Ohio, South Carolina have adopted bans or require school districts to create policy banning cellphones in the classroom, according to an Education Week analysis published in December. Lawmakers in another 12 states have only recommended schools adopt cellphone-limiting policies.
Murphy this month joined the governors of New Hampshire and New York announcing to plans to enact cellphone use restrictions for students.
Some parents have objected to the idea of the ban, arguing they want to be able to communicate with their child in the event of an emergency. Teachers who work in classrooms with these policies say they have seen students interact with each other more, according to research by the National Conference of State Legislatures.
The public is solidly behind these restrictions. A poll released in the fall by the Pew Research Center said 68% of U.S. adults say they support a ban on middle and high school students using cellphones during class, including 45% who said they strongly support it. Teachers are even more enthusiastic about the idea, with 72% telling Pew Research Center pollsters in June that cellphones are a major classroom distraction.
EXPANDING PAID FAMILY LEAVE BENEFITS FOR STATE WORKERS
Murphy wants to reward state employees who use the state’s paid family leave program to take time to care for a new child by allowing them to draw their full salary while they’re away.
The governor’s office estimated the proposal would cost $6 million to $12 million.
“This will ensure that these workers can continue earning a full salary while caring for a newborn during one of the most crucial stages of development,” Murphy said. “Why are we doing this? Because nobody should ever have to sacrifice their economic security in order to be a present and engaged parent.”
Currently, a person taking paid family leave will receive no more than $1,081 per week this year, up to 12 weeks. But if the governor’s proposal is approved, state workers welcoming a new child would not be capped at 85% of their wages; they would receive an entire paycheck. The extra pay would not apply to state workers who are taking time off to care for a sick relative.
The proposal is the latest initiative of First Lady Tammy Murphy’s Nurture NJ program, which aims to improve the health and safety of mothers and newborns.
New Jersey became one of the first states to offer paid family leave, in 2008. In 2019, Murphy signed a law that increased the time-off period from six to 12 weeks, raised the cap on reimbursement, and added to the list of family members that qualify for the benefit.
A Republican lawmaker, Assemblywoman Nancy Muñoz, introduced a bill Tuesday that goes further than Murphy’s plan. It would increase family leave payments to all workers across New Jersey to 100% of their pay, expand the amount of leave someone could take to 12 weeks, and include not just new parents but those caring for sick loved ones.
“Every worker, every new parent, no matter your occupation, deserves paid leave to bond with a child, not just state workers,” Munoz, R-Union, said.
RETHINKING HOW FARMLAND IS TAXED
Murphy said it is time to adopt a fairer way to tax farmland, which gets a steep break on property taxes in New Jersey.
People have long complained that some wealthy landowners take a tax break when their farm sales are negligible.
Jack Curtis, a retired school principal from Mendham Township, called into Murphy’s “Ask the Governor” radio show and complained about this issue.
“I invited Jack to join us, today, to thank him, because he has raised our attention to a flaw in New Jersey’s farmland assessment tax system that allows the wealthiest among us to avoid paying their fair share,” Murphy said.
“That is wrong. If our state’s law enforcement officers, veterans, nurses, and other working people are paying their fair share — so, too, should those at the top of the economic ladder,” he said.
His speech did not contain details on how the tax code would be changed. He asked state Sen. Joe Pennacchio and Assemblywoman Aura Dunn, both Morris County Republicans, to develop the proposal.
LIMITING PRISON FOR MINOR PAROLE OFFENDERS
As many as 1,200 people a year in the state would benefit from a new proposal that would stop rearresting and re-incarcerating people on parole for committing minor violations.
“Right now, roughly 10% of our state’s entire prison population consists of people who are being held behind bars for committing a technical parole violation, like missing a scheduled meeting or forgetting to report a move to a new town,” Murphy said. “Nobody should lose their freedom because of a technicality.”
State Assemblywoman Shanique Speight, D-Essex, is expected to introduce legislation that would create these new rules for the State Parole Board to follow. The parolee would get one or two passes on minor violations before they are jailed, according to the proposal.
People on parole supervision also may earn credits to shorten the time they are monitored.
On any given day, as many as 1,200 people are incarcerated for technical parole violations, Murphy said.
A year ago, the Office of the Public Defender urged lawmakers to “reimagine” the parole system, calling it “unconstitutional.”
“More must be done to keep parolees in the community unless they pose a legitimate and serious risk to public safety,” according to a report it issued in February. “The total number of pure technical violations (67%) perpetuates the carceral state, mass supervision, and systemic racism.”
EXPANDING FULL-DAY PRE-K
Murphy has repeatedly expanded full-day, pre-kindergarten programs during his seven years in office. There are now 293 school districts with pre-K programs in New Jersey, 229 of which have been established during his administration.
The governor vowed Tuesday to continue that progress, although he did not say how many more districts he intended to add.
“When I first ran for this office, I set the goal of putting New Jersey on a path to free, universal pre-K. And with the help of each of you, and especially (state) Senate Majority Leader Teresa Ruiz and Assembly members Andrea Katz and Sterley Stanley, we have done just that.”
Murphy added that “this year, we will not only move forward in reaching this goal. I am also going to work with you all to enact a new proposal requiring school districts to provide full-day kindergarten in the communities that still lack it.”
Mary Coogan, president and CEO for the family advocacy group, the Advocates for Children of New Jersey, said she appreciated the governor’s commitment to expanding full-day kindergarten. But she urged caution, because some child care centers “are being forced to close, unable to compete with districts that can offer free preschool, funded by the state,” she said.
There are 77,000 3- and 4-year-olds enrolled in the pre-k programs, the governor’s office said.
REPUBLICANS REACT
Republican leaders in the Legislature criticized the governor’s remarks following the speech, telling reporters that one-party rule by the Democrats since 2018 has contributed to New Jersey being unaffordable.
State Senate Minority Leader Anthony Bucco, R-Morris, mocked Murphy’s refrain of striving to make the state “stronger and fairer.”
“Stronger and fairer for who?” Bucco said during a news conference Republican lawmakers held at the Statehouse after Murphy’s address. “You don’t have to go any further than the grocery store and see how much the cost of basic food is for a family today.”
“This sate has become in the last seven years, more and more unaffordable, and in my opinion that’s happened because we’ve been under one-party rule.”
Assembly Minority Leader John DiMaio, R-Warren, questioned Murphy’s remarks about Republican President-elect Donald Trump. Murphy said he “will never back away from partnering with the Trump administration where our priorities align,” but “If you try to attack our people or our values, without cause, make no mistake: we will fight back even harder.”
DiMaio said cooperating with the Trump administration was in New Jersey’s best interests.
“The state of our state is that New Jersey is completely reliant on President Trump to fix their failures,” DiMaio said. “Democrats need Trump to increase renewable energy subsidies. Democrats need Trump to to end congestion pricing. Democrats need Trump to restore the full SALT deduction.”
At least 10 major party candidates are engaged in an increasingly heated campaign this year to succeed Murphy. The governor gets to deliver a final State of the State address next January before leaving office in January 2026.
NJ Advance Media staff writer Brent Johnson contributed to this report.
Jelani Gibson may be reached at jgibson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X at @jelanigibson1 and on LinkedIn.
Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on X @SusanKLivio.