State law allows the governor to reconvene the Legislature for special or extended sessions that can last up to 30 days.  There is no limit to the number of special sessions the Legislature can have, and only the governor can dictate what topics must be addressed.

On June 5, the governor called for a special session to start Tuesday, July 18, 2017 with the priority of passing the sunset safety-net bill, which will keep five state agencies open, including the Texas Medical Review Board.  The Texas Medical Review Board issues licenses to doctors.  Abbott said once the Senate passes the sunset bill, the Legislature can tackle a long list of other issues he’s laid out, including a commission on school finance, vouchers for special needs students, and bathroom legislation.

The Legislature will have up to 30 days to finish its work.  Gov. Abbott said if he is going to call the legislators back at taxpayers’ expense, he wants to “make it count.”  He said that if the Legislature cannot get everything done, it will not be because they “lacked time,” but because they “lacked the will” to get it done.

Several topics on the Governor’s special session agenda impact public education:

• Giving teachers a $1,000 pay raise without spending any additional money
• Changing laws to retain good teachers and fire ineffective ones
• Creating a Commission on Texas School Finance Reform
• Vouchers for special needs kids
• Bathroom or privacy legislation, like HB 2899
• Prohibiting automatic payroll deductions for union dues
• SB 2 “or better” property tax relief legislation that includes a rollback provision (Note: this bill caps cities and counties tax rates)

Other topics to be covered during the special session can be found here.  HISD’s Government Relations team will return to Austin to fight for the district during the special session.

 

The legislative session that ended on May 29 saw dozens of bills related to education signed into law, while others were vetoed or left unresolved.  New legislation can go into effect immediately if it passed both chambers with two-thirds of the vote and received the governor’s approval. Otherwise, new legislation goes into effect on Sept. 1, 2017, if it received the governor’s approval or signature.

New Legislation

Here are the bills that passed both chambers and have been approved by the governor. Click on each bill to learn more about it:

• SB 7 by Sen. Bettencourt intends to end inappropriate teacher-student relationships; imposes a criminal penalty
• SB 22 by Sen. Larry Taylor creates a grant program for early college high schools focused on technology, P-TECH
• SB 30 by Sen. West teaches high school students how to engage with police
• SB 79 by Sen. Nelson relates to TPIA (or open records) requests
• SB 160 by Sen. Rodriguez removes the special education cap
• SB 179 by Sen. Menendez, David’s Law relates to penalties for bullying and cyber-bullying
• SB 195 by Sen. Garcia allows districts to apply for additional state funds to create Safe Passage programs for students in violent neighborhoods
• SB 436 by Sen. Rodriguez relates to the Special Education Continuing Advisory Council
• SB 463 by Sen. Seliger extends the use of individual graduation committees (IGCs) for students who fail to pass no more than 2 STAAR EOCs (extended until 2019)
• SB 490 by Sen. Lucio requires school districts to report counselor data in PEIMS
• SB 587 by Sen. Campbell allows military families coming from outside of Texas to enroll in virtual schools
• SB 671 by Sen. Campbell allows dual language elementary proficiency to count for a high school foreign language credit
• SB 725 by Sen. Miles allows ISDs to donate food to students through non-profits and have a grace period for students whose lunch account balance expired
• SB 748 by Sen. Zaffirini relates to special education/ARD changes
• SB 801 by Sen. Seliger allows the State Board of Education (SBOE) to review materials for grade/subject level appropriateness
• SB 802 by Sen. Seliger relates to best practices in dual credit course transfers
• SB 825 by Sen. Larry Taylor makes the PSAT optional
• SB 826 by Sen. Larry Taylor relates to course sequencing for English and Math courses
• SB 1005 by Sen. Campbell ends TAKS Maintenance
• SB 1091 by Sen. Seliger imposes some restrictions on dual credit
• SB 1318 by Sen. Van Taylor on Math Innovation Zones
• SB 1353 by Sen. Larry Taylor on facility funds for annexed school districts
• SB 1398 by Sen. Lucio cleans up the “cameras in the classroom” legislation for special needs students
• SB 1404 by Sen. Hughes requires schools to report to PEIMS the types of expanded learning opportunities/afterschool programs they have and the number of students participating
• SB 1440 by Sen. Campbell creates a new exception for candidate forums under the Open Meetings Act
• SB 1553 by Sen. Menendez relates to campus trespassing notices
• SB 1566 by Sen. Kolkhorst changes many school board governance policies
• SB 1784 by Sen. Larry Taylor updates the definition of open source instructional materials
• SB 1839 by Sen. Hughes relates to educator preparation
• SB 1843 by Sen. Campbell lets 10th-12^th graders take the armed forces exam
• SB 1873 by Sen. Hinojosa requires ISDs to report students’ physical education data to TEA
• SB 1882 by Sen. Menendez relates to District-Charter Partnerships
• SB 1963 by Sen. Creighton allows virtual observations for teacher prep programs (except for classroom teachers)
• SB 2039 by Sen. Zaffirini on sex trafficking professional development for school staff
• SB 2080 by Sen. Larry Taylor requires a PEIMS report for students in a residential treatment facilities
• SB 2084 by Sen. Larry Taylor relates to the Average Daily Attendance (ADA) calculation for blended learning students
• SB 2105 by Sen. Miles on public workforce data reports by region
• SB 2141 by Sen. Larry Taylor on due process for special education students
• HB 22 by Rep. Huberty changes the A-F accountability system that passed last session; delays implementation for one year; and differentiates between D and F ratings
• HB 136 by Rep. Bell on adding CTE to the state’s mission for public schools
• HB 264 by Rep. Hernandez on graduation requirements and outreach materials for students
• HB 332 by Rep. Meyer on security plans for schools used as polling locations
• HB 357 by Rep. Huberty provides free Pre-K for children of fallen police officers, firefighters and first responders
• HB 441 by Rep. Martinez bans school on Memorial Day
• HB 523 by Rep. Schofield requires school districts to post online the video/audio recordings of trustees
• HB 639 by Rep. Doc Anderson on CTE insurance for participating students
• HB 657 by Rep. Bernal on the ARD committee’s decision to promote a special needs student based on assessments
• HB 674 by Rep. Eric Johnson bans suspensions below 3rd grade
• HB 728 by Rep. Guerra on an Advanced Computer Science Program
• HB 1076 by Rep. Oliverson on mandatory spinal screenings for students
• HB 1081 by Rep. Arevalo raises the New Instructional Facilities Allotment (NIFA) per pupil and expands the definition to include districts like HISD
• HB 1545 by Rep. Clardy relates to high school credits for Peace Officer Training
• HB 1553 by Rep. Lozano develops a turnaround partnership where higher education can partner with an ISD to improve the district’s academic performance
• HB 1556 by Rep. Mary Gonzalez allows a foster care/surrogate parent of a special needs student to make decisions for that child
• HB 1569 by Rep. Ashby requires certain data for students in a residential facility
• HB 1593 by Rep. Bohac relates to family engagement plans; adds programs and interventions to teach families how to encourage student-learning at home
• HB 1638 by Rep. Guillen on dual credit goals
• HB 1645 by Rep. Lozano on Special Olympics Letters for students
• HB 1661 by Rep. Phelan deals with candidates withdrawing from an election
• HB 1886 by Rep. Miller relates to dyslexia testing
• HB 1934 by Rep. Minjarez relates to teaching licenses for military spouses
• HB 2039 by Rep. Huberty creates an Early Childhood Teacher Certificate for pre-K- third grade
• HB 2087 by Rep. VanDeaver covers student data privacy
• HB 2130 by Rep. Roberts requires TEA to do a special education interim study
• HB 2263 by Rep. Gooden removes a campus intervention team once an underperforming campus no longer has an unacceptable rating; establishes deadlines for TEA to send communications to school districts about the status of or action required for their turnaround plans
• HB 2369 by Rep. Nevarez helps lower ISDs’ water bills
• HB 2442 by Rep. Ken King cleans up the “minutes of instruction” bill from last session
• HB 2537 by Rep. Guerra says counselors should inform foster care students about fee waivers
• HB 2729 by Rep. Lucio III regarding certificates and credentials for CTE students
• HB 2880 by Rep. Dutton reduces the level of crime for threatening to use a firearm on a school bus
• HB 3157 by Rep. Dennis Bonnen regarding vision screenings for students at school
• HB 3270 by Rep. Bohac relates to background checks for contractors and sub-contractors hired to provide construction or maintenance work on public works projects for school districts
• HB 3349 by Rep. Gervin-Hawkins allows industry-related teachers to get certified in a shorter amount of time
• HB 3526 by Rep. Howard adds Technology to the name of the (T) IMA
• HB 3563 by Rep. Koop eliminates redundant parent notices
• HB 3593 by Rep. Bernal creates a cybersecurity course in schools
• HB 3632 by Rep. Moody allows more time for military families to request a special education due process hearing
• HB 3706 by Rep. Lucio III allows alternative education programs to be at a campus or online and help students with post-secondary opportunities
• HB 4056 by Rep. Rose requires schools to use research-based best practices to create a positive school climate 

Vetoed Legislation

The following bills were vetoed by the governor and will not go into effect:

• HB 61 by Rep. Guillen establishes a new indicator for special education students in the accountability system

Governor’s veto statement on HB 61: “I have signed House Bill 22, which reforms our public school accountability system to provide additional transparency on school performance. Multiple provisions of House Bill 61 are based on the existing accountability system, which was overhauled by House Bill 22.  Additionally, parts of House Bill 61 regarding the use of video cameras in special education classrooms are already adequately addressed by Senate Bill 1398, which I have signed.”

• HB 1342 by Rep. Parker requires school districts to provide age-appropriate, research based child abuse prevention training to students

Governor’s veto statement on HB 1342: “I have signed Senate Bill 2039, which directs the Texas Education Agency to develop an optional curriculum regarding sexual abuse prevention for use by school districts.  While both Senate Bill 2039 and House Bill 1342 seek to achieve a good purpose, Senate Bill 2039 does so in a more suitable way.  By recognizing both the importance of this topic and the right of parents to opt their children out of the instruction, Senate Bill 2039 strikes the correct balance.  House Bill 1342 was well-intentioned, but it lacked a provision for parental opt-out.  This is inconsistent with the longstanding rule in Texas schools that parents can remove their child from ‘any part of the district’s human sexuality instruction.’  Tex. Educ. Code § 28.004(i).”

• HB 1500 by Rep. Giddings amends Domain IV to reflect post-secondary performance

Governor’s veto statement on HB 1500: “In 2015, the Texas Legislature prioritized parental engagement and increased transparency by developing an A through F grading system for school districts and campuses. House Bill 22, which I have signed, makes positive changes to the existing A through F system. House Bill 22 ensures students, parents, and taxpayers know how well our schools are doing. It also aligns the new grading system with Texas’ sanction and intervention strategies. House Bill 1500 is based on the existing grading system and conflicts with House Bill 22.”

• SB 196 by Sen. Garcia requires website notices for schools that don’t have counselors, nurses, or librarians

Governor’s veto statement on SB 196: “Our public schools should be focused on educating students in the classroom. Senate Bill 196 detracts from that focus and imposes a needless regulatory mandate on schools.”

Unresolved Legislation

The following bills passed both chambers, but were not resolved:

• SB 2078 by Sen. Larry Taylor relates to school safety, bathrooms and emergency plans; the schools-only bathroom language was added as a floor amendment
• SB 2131 by Sen. West covers college advising
• HB 515 by Rep. VanDeaver limits assessments
• HB 1291 by Rep. Geren includes patriotism in the TEKS along with a Common Core Ban and SB 1883 was added
• HB 3767 by Rep. Allen relates to district and campus-level committees
• HB 4064 by Rep. Bohac relates to digital learning training for educators