Education Bill Tracking

85th Legislative Session

The bills below could impact education for people with disabilities in Texas.

Education Bills — Passed

BILLAUTHORDESCRIPTION, REMARKS, LAST ACTION
HB 657Diego BernalRelating to procedures for a student enrolled in a special education program who fails to perform satisfactorily on certain assessment instruments.
no datano dataRemarks: Requires an Admission, Review & Dismissal (ARD) committee meeting within 5 days of a district's receipt of a student's unsatisfactory assessment results and before the student is administered the assessment instrument for the second time.
no datano dataLast Action: 05-29-17 G Earliest effective date
HB 674Eric JohnsonRelating to the suspension of a student younger than six years of age from public school.
no datano dataRemarks: Prohibits out-of-school suspension of student under age 6 except for Penal Code violation involving weapons, violence, or selling or using marijuana, a controlled substance, a dangerous drug, or an alcoholic beverage.
no datano dataLast Action: 06-12-17 G Earliest effective date
HB 1556Mary GonzalezRelating to the appointment of foster parents and other qualified persons to serve as educational decision-makers for certain children in the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services.
no datano dataRemarks: Provides for trained foster parent, court-certified volunteer advocate, or person chosen by the school district to act as educational decision-maker for a child in conservatorship of DFPS if parents cannot be found or do not want to serve. In the absence of a parent, the court may appoint a qualified surrogate parent to assist in educational decision making.
no datano dataLast Action: 09-01-17 G Earliest effective date
HB 1645Jose LozanoRelating to requiring certain school districts to adopt a policy allowing students who participate in Special Olympics to earn a letter on that basis.
no datano dataRemarks: Requires a school district that awards letters for academic, athletic, or extracurricular achievements to allow students participating in a Special Olympics event to earn a letter.
no datano dataLast Action: 05-29-17 G Earliest effective date
HB 1886Rick MillerRelating to dyslexia testing, the designation by the Texas Education Agency of a dyslexia specialist, and the development by the agency of a list of training opportunities for educators regarding dyslexia.
no datano dataRemarks: Requires the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to appoint a dyslexia specialist to provide districts with support and resources. Requires TEA to maintain an annual list of training opportunities, including one online. Requires dyslexia testing of each student at the beginning of kindergarten and at the end of first grade.
no datano dataLast Action: 06-15-17 G Earliest effective date
HB 2130Kevin RobertsRelating to a study conducted by the Texas Education Agency regarding the impact of the statewide assessment program on students in special education programs.
no datano dataRemarks: Requires a study regarding the impact of statewide assessments on students receiving special education services. Requires TEA to address whether assessments are an accurate measure of achievement and if they result in grade level regression. The study will be used to modify contracts with assessment instrument vendors. Report is due Oct. 1, 2018.
no datano dataLast Action: 06-12-17 G Earliest effective date
HB 3632Joe MoodyRelating to extension of the timeline for a parent to request a special education impartial due process hearing in certain circumstances.
no datano dataRemarks: Provides an extension to parents who are members of armed forces, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and Public Health Service to request special education due process hearing.
no datano dataLast Action: 06-15-17 G Earliest effective date
SB 160Jose RodriguezRelating to a prohibition of a monitoring system performance indicator based on the number or percentage of students receiving special education services.
no datano dataRemarks: Prohibits a performance measure based on the number or percentage of students receiving special education services, but does not prohibit a performance indicator designed to monitor disproportionality by assessing the percentage of specific racial or ethnic groups who receive special education services.
no datano dataLast Action: 05-22-17 G Earliest effective date
SB 436Jose RodriguezRelating to the operation of the special education continuing advisory committee.
no datano dataRemarks: Requires the special education continuing advisory committee to encourage public participation with the committee and to submit a biennial report to the legislature with recommended changes to state law and agency rules.
no datano dataLast Action: 09-01-17 G Earliest effective date
SB 719Judith ZaffiriniRelating to requiring the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to collect and study data on the participation of persons with intellectual disabilities in workforce education.
no datano dataRemarks: Requires the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) to collect and study data on the participation of persons with intellectual disabilities in workforce education programs. The bill is a follow-up to SB 37 (2015), which only addressed undergraduate and master’s programs. Expands data to also include continuing adult education.
no datano dataLast Action: 09-01-17 G Earliest effective date
SB 748Judith ZaffiriniRelating to transition planning for a public school student enrolled in a special education program.
no datano dataRemarks: Clarifies that admission, review, and dismissal (ARD) committees must annually share with students ages 14 and older information about employment, self-determination and independent living, and public benefits and services and supports. In addition, the ARD committee must share at least one year before the student reaches age 18 information about the transfer of rights, including decision-making. Requires updating and distributing a transition guide. Requires that information about guardianship and guardianship alternatives, including the supported decision-making agreement, be made available upon request.
no datano dataLast Action: 06-09-17 G Earliest effective date
SB 1398Eddie LucioRelating to the placement and use of video cameras in certain self-contained classrooms or other settings providing special education services.
no datano dataRemarks: Requires a written request for classroom video surveillance; requires placement in locations where the majority of students receive special education services attended by the requester's child or as limited by the requester; a request may be made by principal or assistant or by special education program staff member; placement is for school year unless withdrawn; time-out or other rooms are included; an appeals process is required.
no datano dataLast Action: 06-12-17 G Earliest effective date
SB 2080Larry TaylorRelating to a requirement that school districts and open-enrollment charter schools report certain information regarding children with disabilities who reside in residential facilities.
no datano dataRemarks: Requires the Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) tracking of students in public school residing in residential care facilities and tracked by the Residential Facility Monitoring System.
no datano dataLast Action: 06-12-17 G Earliest effective date
SB 2141Larry TaylorRelating to requirements for a representative for a student in a special education due process hearing.
no datano dataRemarks: Requires the representative of a person in a special education due process hearing to agree to abide by a voluntary code of ethics and professional conduct and have a confidential written agreement with the person represented that includes a process for resolving disputes.
no datano dataLast Action: 06-12-17 G Earliest effective date

Education Bills — Not Passed

BILLAUTHORDESCRIPTION, REMARKS, LAST ACTION
HB 194Diego BernalRelating to providing for endorsements for public high school students enrolled in special education programs.
no datano dataRemarks: Would have allowed students receiving special education services to earn endorsements with or without modification and allowed ARD to determine whether an exit test is needed.
no datano dataLast Action: 05-11-17 H Set on the House Calendar
HB 1669Tracy KingRelating to appeals and complaints arising from school laws brought by parents and public school students.
no datano dataRemarks: Would have defined 'frivolous complaint' by a parent/student as that which is without merit and is brought with the intent to harass, annoy, threaten, or vex the school district and allowed the TEA commissioner to order the parent/student bringing a frivolous TEA administrative appeal to pay the district's attorney fees; and would not have required a hearing to be held for a complaint determined to be frivolous. Would not have applied to a complaint about participation in extracurricular activity that does not involve rights violations.
no datano dataLast Action: 05-19-17 S Committee action pending Senate Education
HB 3369Dan HubertyRelating to the statewide plan for special education and assistance to public school districts in providing special education programs.
no datano dataRemarks: Would have 1) expanded schools eligible for Education Service Center assistance in complying with federal special education requirements; 2) added the Texas Higher Education Coordinating and the State Board for Educator Certification to the consortium designed to meet the personnel needs of all areas of specialization related to special education; and 3) required personnel involved in special education evaluations to be trained in linguistic and culturally appropriate evaluations and use appropriate assessment instruments including those in languages other than English.
no datano dataLast Action: 04-24-17 H Reported favorably from committee on House Public Education
HB 3887Garnet ColemanRelating to trauma training for public school personnel.
no datano dataRemarks: Would have established a trauma recognition program for school staff, in addition to law enforcement officers and social workers who regularly interact with students.
no datano dataLast Action: 05-19-17 S Vote failed in committee on Senate Education
SB 3Larry TaylorRelating to the establishment of an education savings account program and a tax credit scholarship and educational expense assistance program.
no datano dataRemarks: Would have created an education savings account (ESA) program for children ages who have attended public school one year. Would have required notice to parents that federal educational rights and opportunities (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) or Section 504) of students with disabilities in the traditional public education system did not apply at the qualifying ESA program setting. A child with a disability would have received 90% of state costs; based on household income, others would have received 60-75%.
no datano dataLast Action: 05-11-17 H Referred to House Committee on House Public Education
SB 529Eddie LucioRelating to improving training and staff development for primary and secondary educators to enable them to more effectively serve all students.
no datano dataRemarks: Would have required persons seeking a Texas teaching certificate to have instruction in universal design and knowledge of basic categories of disabilities under IDEA, the use of evidence-based inclusive instruction, general and special education collaborative and co-teaching approaches, systems of support and monitoring, behavior intervention strategies and supports, and adaptation strategies for accommodations, modifications, and assistive technology. Would have emphasized inclusion and diversity and required individuals to have field experience in student teaching and interacting with a diverse student population, including students with disabilities.
no datano dataLast Action: 05-17-17 H Reported from committee as substituted House Public Education
SB 927Jose RodriguezRelating to special education recovery program operated by the Texas Education Agency.
no datano dataRemarks: Would have required TEA to re-evaluate students denied special education services from 2004-2017. For students under 21, school districts meeting criteria would have been required to provide special education services to eligible students using statewide federal special education funds.
no datano dataLast Action: 05-04-17 S Committee action pending Senate Education
SB 1210Charles PerryRelating to the creation of an advisory committee to review special education programs available in public schools.
no datano dataRemarks: Would have established a 12-member special education program review advisory committee, two of whom must have been related to a child who receives special education services. Report and recommendations were to be due by September 1, 2018.
no datano dataLast Action: 03-09-17 S Introduced and referred to committee on Senate Education
SB 1690Eddie LucioRelating to the requirements for a school district improvement plan.
no datano dataRemarks: Would have required the district improvement plan for each independent school district to include assessment of school climate as well as strategies to promote positive behavior management (not discipline management) and methods to promote a safe and supportive climate, including trauma-informed practices.
no datano dataLast Action: 03-22-17 S Introduced and referred to committee on Senate Education
SB 2081Larry TaylorRelating to information regarding the number of public school students receiving certain special education services.
no datano dataRemarks: Would have added reporting requirements to TEA's Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) for the number of students in the Section 504 program and the number receiving response to intervention (RTI) assistance.
no datano dataLast Action: 04-25-17 S Removed from hearing 04/27/17 - Senate Education
SB 2144Larry TaylorRelating to the creation of a commission to recommend improvements to the public school finance system.
no datano dataRemarks: Would have created the Commission on Public School Finance to develop and make recommendations for improvements to methods of financing public schools, including any adjustments to funding to account for student demographics.
no datano dataLast Action: 05-24-17 H Bill pronounced dead by procedural action
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