Time getting short with major work still left to be done
After a very brief meeting on the floor today, the House adjourned until 10 a.m. Friday, June 24. Four deregulation bills (HBs 17, 19, 20, and 21) that have been on the House calendar for more than a week now but routinely postponed, were once again postponed until Friday and Monday.
The speaker gave House members an idea of the House schedule for the seven days remaining until the special session must officially conclude on Wednesday, June 29, noting that much important work remains to be done (although mostly in conference committees) and several major pieces of legislation have recently been added to the call by the governor that will be eligible for floor consideration over the next several days. The speaker asked members to keep their personal schedules flexible, emphasizing that they should be prepared to be available this weekend and the remaining days in the special session next week.
Meanwhile, although the Senate is scheduled to meet on the floor today as well, there is no education-related legislation on their calendar for today.
With conference committee reports still due on the two major finance bills (SB 1 and 2) that must pass during the special session in order to balance the budget passed during the regular session, time is running short and there have not been clear indications as to when those conference committee reports will be issued.
In other news, with the June 19 veto deadline safely past, four bills initiated by TCTA during the regular legislative session have officially become law. They include:
HB 1334 by Rep. Alma Allen / Sen. Wendy Davis
Ensures that an educator’s contract will not become void due to an expired certificate if the educator took all steps necessary to renew the certificate but the State Board for Educator Certification did not take action until after the expiration date.
HB 1335 by Rep. Alma Allen / Sen. Leticia Van de Putte
Requires districts to develop a process for teachers who instruct students with disabilities in a regular classroom setting to request a review of the student’s IEP. The process must include a provision for a timely response to the request and require notification to the student’s parent of the district’s response.
HB 1682 by Rep. Randy Weber / Sen. Mike Jackson
Prohibits school boards and district employees from requiring or coercing an employee to make a charitable contribution or attend a meeting called for the purpose of soliciting charitable contributions. An employee also cannot be coerced or required to refrain from making such a contribution or attending such a meeting.
HB 1907 by Rep. Jerry Madden / Sen. John Whitmire
Clarifies and strengthens the laws that require law enforcement to notify school officials, and school officials to notify teachers, about students with a serious criminal history. A law enforcement officer or school administrator who does not provide the notice as required will be reported to the appropriate licensing agency and face potential sanctions.
Numerous other education-related bills from the regular legislative session also cleared the June 19 veto deadline hurdle, and we will be reporting on those in subsequent communications.
