Special Session and the Federal Funding Freeze Continues
Special Session
As of this writing 270 bills have been filed in this special session with 62 bills filed that could impact public schools. Of those filed, no House bill has been referred to a committee, and no major bill (low bill number) regarding the elimination of STAAR has been filed in either chamber. We expect major legislation regarding STAAR to be filed and scheduled for a hearing sometime next week.
This week, Senate Bill 12, regarding taxpayer funded lobbying, passed from the Senate State Affairs committee. The bill will go to the full Senate for passage before heading to the House. The bill would not allow school districts to pay dues to organizations that hire lobbyists.
The Top Priority – Addressing the Governor’s first four priorities in the special session related to flood preparedness, relief, and communications, the Joint Select Committee on Disaster Preparedness and Flooding – composed of members from both the House and Senate – held a nearly 12-hour meeting on Wednesday. The committee formally reviewed the events leading up to, during, and following the July 4 flooding in Kerr County. Another meeting is scheduled to take place next week in Kerrville.
Federal Funding Freeze Continues
While the federal government has released over $1 billion in Title funds, more than $5 billion remains under review. Although multiple lawsuits have been filed to compel the release of the remaining funds, there is currently no projected timeline or guarantee that they will be restored. This uncertainty places school districts in a precarious position as they plan for staffing and programs that directly support students.
Richardson ISD will move forward with the implementation of planned federal Title-funded initiatives. However, if the funds remain frozen, the Board of Trustees will consider amending the 2025–2026 budget to cover these critical expenses and will evaluate future spending accordingly.
Legislative Corner is published periodically throughout the 89th Texas legislative session. For more information about RISD’s legislative involvement and priorities, please visit the legislative page here. Other resources include Texas Legislature Online (TLO) – find legislation (bills), committee hearings, legislative member info, and more; The Quorum Report – sign-up for “Daily Buzz” or a listing of political news articles; Texas Tribune – online daily news, also a data dashboard for education.
