This Week In Austin
Four major education bills were filed in the Texas House:
- House Bill 2 – a 140-page omnibus bill relating to public education and public school finance.
- House Bill 3 – provides for funding into Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) for eligible students who are not enrolled in and receiving funding through the public school system.
- House Bill 4 – makes changes to the accountability system and requires the state to reduce the test’s length, prioritize post-secondary preparation and launch a revamped version by 2026.
- House Bill 6 – modifies the education code with regard to Chapter 37 and improves student discipline.
More analysis on these bills will be available in the coming days and shared in future editions of Legislative Corner.
The Texas Senate Education committee passed a teacher pay raise bill – SB 26 See the bill summary here.
Next Week in Austin
As of 2.21, no bills have been set for hearings regarding education.
Reminders
- The legislative session still has a long way to go, and there will be changes. There are many steps and opportunities to amend and improve bills before/if they become law.
- The House is anxious to catch up to the Senate in addressing their priorities, and bills regarding public education seem to be first on the list. Hearings on the major education bills (HB 2 and HB 3 particularly) are expected to be scheduled within the next week.
- It’s still early in the session, and many bills with significant impact to public education and RISD have not been filed yet.
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.
