DOCSLIB.ORG

2015 Legislative Summaryfor Texas Charter School Leaders

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
2015 Legislative Summaryfor Texas Charter School Leaders 2015 Legislative Summary for Texas Charter School Leaders REGULAR SESSION OF THE 84th TEXAS LEGISLATURE Table of Contents TCSA Legislative Summary for the 84th Regular Session of the Texas Legislature This Legislative Summary contains general summaries of the bills passed during the 84th Regular Session of the Texas Legislature that impact charter schools. It is for informational purposes only. Many of the new bills may require a charter school to re-evaluate its policies and procedures or may require the creation of new policies to comply with statutory and regulatory changes. TCSA offers a series of model board policies designed to aid and educate charter school leaders in the operation and management of their schools. TCSA will update Model Board Policy Series to reflect these changes in the law, and these updates will be available to current subscribers of the series. More information regarding the TCSA Model Board Policy Series is available by phone at (512) 584-8272 or visit: www.txcharterschools.org/purchase-model-board-policies/model-board-policy-series. You must not rely on the information in this summary as legal advice or as an alternative to legal advice from your attorney or other professional legal services provider. If you have any specific questions about a particular bill or change in law, you should directly consult TCSA Legal & Policy Services, your attorney, or other professional legal services provider. Table of Contents State Appropriations 1 Accountability House Bill 743 / Representative Dan Huberty 3 House Bill 1164 / Representative Gary VanDeaver 4 House Bill 1613 / Representative Ryan Guillen 5 House Bill 1842 / Representative Jimmie Don Aycock 6 Senate Bill 1867 / Senator Judith Zaffirini 8 House Bill 2804 / Representative Jimmie Don Aycock 9 House Bill 3106 / Representative Dan Huberty 10 Early Childhood Education House Bill 4 / Representative Dan Huberty 13 FSP Funding House Bill 1474 / Representative Gary VanDeaver 17 House Bill 2251* / Representative Rafael Anchia 18 Open Government House Bill 283 / Representative Pat Fallon 21 House Bill 685 / Representative Kenneth Sheets 22 House Bill 2134 / Representative Cindy Burkett 23 School Employees House Bill 218 / Representative Marisa Márquez 25 Senate Bill 674 / Senator Donna Campbell 26 Senate Bill 925 / Senator Lois Kolkhorst 27 Senate Bill 934 / Senator Lois Kolkhorst 28 Senate Bill 935 / Senator Lois Kolkhorst 29 Senate Bill 972 / Senator Lois Kolkhorst 30 House Bill 1783 / Representative Joe Moody 31 House Bill 2168 / Representative Sergio Muñoz 32 House Bill 2186 / Representative Byron Cook 33 House Bill 2974 / Representative Dan Flynn 34 *TCSA Legislative Priority Table of Contents School Operations House Bill 910 / Representative Larry Phillips 37 Senate Bill 955 / Senator Charles Schwertner 38 House Bill 1170* / Representative Marsha Farney 39 House Bill 1171* / Representative Marsha Farney 40 House Bill 1804 / Representative Elliott Naishtat 41 Senate Bill 2062 / Senator Kirk Watson 42 Student Attendance & Instruction House Bill 18 / Representative Jimmie Don Aycock 45 Senate Bill 149 / Senator Kel Seliger 46 House Bill 181 / Representative Cecil Bell 47 Senate Bill 453 / Senator Kel Seliger 48 House Bill 505 / Representative Eddie Rodriguez 49 Senate Bill 968 / Senator Royce West 50 Senate Bill 1494 / Senator Carlos Uresti 51 Senate Bill 1776 / Senator José Menéndez 52 House Bill 2349 / Representative Jimmie Don Aycock 53 House Bill 2610 / Representative Ken King 54 House Bill 2660 / Representative Donna Howard 55 Student Health, Nutrition & Safety Senate Bill 66 / Senator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa 57 Senate Bill 265 / Senator Rodney Ellis 58 Senate Bill 382 / Senator Carlos Uresti 59 Senate Bill 996 / Senator Van Taylor 60 House Bill 1305 / Representative Greg Bonnen 61 Students with Disabilities Senate Bill 507 / Senator Eddie Lucio 63 Senate Bill 1259 / Senator José Rodríguez 65 Texas Education Agency House Bill 1706 / Representative Gary VanDeaver 67 House Bill 3748 / Representative Marsha Farney 68 *TCSA Legislative Priority Table of Contents State Appropriations Summarized below are the estimated changes Impact on Charter Schools: made to the Foundation School Program (FSP) Open-enrollment charter schools will see in an increase in the funding resulting from actions taken by the 84th per student allocation of FSP funding. Based on Legislative Legislature during the 2015 regular session. Budget Board (LBB) estimates, FSP funding will increase approximately $126 per WADA in fiscal year 2015-2016 for Summary: open-enrollment charter schools. Actions taken by the 84th Legislature resulted in a $1.5 billion increase in Foundation School Program Entitlement for the 2016-2017 biennium. This increase was primarily due to a $1.2 billion increase in the basic allotment, $200 million for fractional funding for the New Instructional Facilities Allotment (NIFA) of $23,750,000 each year, and $55.5 million for Instructional Facilities Allotment (IFA) awards in fiscal year 2017. Texas Charter Schools Association ©2015 1 Table of Contents 2 Texas Charter Schools Association ©2015 Table of Contents Accountability House Bill 743 / Representative Dan Huberty Impact on Charter Schools: Kingwood This new legislation will not impact charter schools, but charter school leaders should be aware of the changes made Effective Date: by HB 743. June 19, 2015 Amending Education Code: §39.023, §39.0236, and §39.0261 Bill Summary: HB 743 amends the Education Code to require that an assessment instrument be determined to be valid and reliable by an independent entity before it is administered. The TEA is required to ensure that all statewide-standardized exams are designed primarily to assess the essential knowledge and skills identified by the State Board of Education (SBOE) for the subject and grade level being tested. The bill requires tests to be designed so that 85 percent of students in grades three through five take no more than 120 minutes to complete and 85 percent of students in grades six through eight take no more than 180 minutes to complete. A test administration cannot exceed eight hours or take place on more than one day. The bill also requires the TEA to develop a comprehensive methodology for auditing and monitoring performance under testing contracts to verify compliance with contractual obligations. All new and renewed contracts include a provision that the TEA or a designee can conduct periodic contract compliance reviews, without advance notice, to monitor vendor performance. Texas Charter Schools Association ©2015 3 Table of Contents Accountability House Bill 1164 / Representative Gary VanDeaver Impact on Charter Schools: New Boston This new legislation does not apply to and will not impact open-enrollment charter schools or university charter Effective Date: schools, but charter school leaders should be aware of the September 1, 2015 changes made by HB 1164. Amending Education Code: §39.02301 Bill Summary: HB 1164 amends the Education Code to require the TEA during the 2015-2016 school year to conduct a study to develop an alternative writing assessment method. During the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 school years, the TEA shall establish a pilot program to implement in designated school districts the writing assessment developed under the TEA study conducted during the 2015-2016 school year. The pilot program must include at least one large urban district, one medium-sized district, and one rural district. 4 Texas Charter Schools Association ©2015 Table of Contents Accountability House Bill 1613 / Representative Ryan Guillen Impact on Charter Schools: Rio Grande City Charter schools should amend their EOC policies and practices to reflect the changes made by HB 1613. Effective Date: June 19, 2015 Amending Education Code: §28.008 and §39.025 Bill Summary: HB 1613 amends the Education Code to require the State Board of Education to create by rule a chart showing the alignment between the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills with the college readiness standards and expectations. The bill exempts a student from the Algebra I, English I or English II end-of-course exam (EOC) if the student was enrolled in a math or ELA college prep course and who performs at college readiness levels on the TSI assessment at the end of the math or ELA college prep course, even if the student previously failed an EOC in the applicable subject. The bill clarifies that a student may retake the TSI assessment for purposes of satisfying the EOC requirement or they may choose to take the appropriate EOC. Texas Charter Schools Association ©2015 5 Table of Contents Accountability House Bill 1842 / Representative Jimmie Don Aycock [CHARTER RENEWAL/REVOCATION] Killeen If the commissioner denies renewal under §12.114(c) of the Education Code or revokes a school’s charter under Effective Date: §12.115(a) of the Education Code, representatives of the June 19, 2015 charter school must be allowed to meet with the commissioner to discuss the decision and the charter holder may submit Amending Education Code: additional information related to the decision. In addition, the §7.028, §11.0511, §28.009, §12.101, §12.116, §29.315, commissioner is required to provide a written response to the §30.005, §39.056, §39.058, §39.107, §39.114 and adding new information presented. a new §39.1121, §39.1122 and Chapter 12A [MONITORING REVIEWS] Bill Summary: The commissioner may direct the TEA to conduct monitoring [DISTRICTS OF INNOVATION] reviews and random on-site visits, the TEA may obtain Eligible
Load more

Recommended publications
  • 87Th LEGISLATIVE SESSION and COVID RESTRICTIONS On
    87th LEGISLATIVE SESSION AND COVID RESTRICTIONS On January 12, 2021, lawmakers from across the state will convene the 87th Texas Legislative Session, meeting for the Regular Session over the following 140 days through May 31. This will be the first time that all 181 legislators will come together since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the virus is top-of-mind for everyone involved. While the Governor recently announced the re-opening of the Capitol building on January 4, we have minimal knowledge of the health and safety protocols the members, staff and Capitol visitors will have to follow when they enter the building next week. It will surely be a much different environment than previous sessions. We know the following requirements will be in place as of today, per a memo released by the State Preservation Board last week: • The Capitol building will only be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday; it will be closed Saturday and Sunday for cleaning. • The public may only enter through the North Capitol entrance. • Covid testing will be encouraged and provided on the North Plaza at no expense. • A mask will be required to be worn inside the building at all times. • All deliveries to the Capitol, including food and beverage, must be left at the loading dock; no delivery personnel will be allowed beyond the loading dock or through the public entrance. • No public tours or groups or sponsored event space will be available. • The House and Senate will manage public access to their offices once convened and rules are adopted, and the public will need to check with the offices directly for specific guidelines.
    [Show full text]
  • 82Nd Leg Members
    Representative Party District Phone Number Jose Aliseda R HD35 512-463-0645 Alma Allen D HD131 512-463-0744 Roberto Alonzo D HD104 512-463-0408 Carol Alvarado D HD145 512-463-0732 Rafael Anchia D HD103 512-463-0746 Charles (Doc) Anderson R HD56 512-463-0135 Rodney Anderson R HD106 512-463-0694 Jimmie Don Aycock R HD54 512-463-0684 Marva Beck R HD57 512-463-0508 Leo Berman R HD6 512-463-0584 Dwayne Bohac R HD138 512-463-0727 Dennis Bonnen R HD25 512-463-0564 Dan Branch R HD108 512-463-0367 Fred Brown R HD14 512-463-0698 Cindy Burkett R HD101 512-463-0464 Lon Burnam D HD90 512-463-0740 Angie Chen Button R HD112 512-463-0486 Erwin Cain R HD3 512-463-0650 Bill Callegari R HD132 512-463-0528 Stefani Carter R HD102 512-463-0454 Joaquin Castro D HD125 512-463-0669 Warren Chisum R HD88 512-463-0736 Wayne Christian R HD9 512-463-0556 Garnet Coleman D HD147 512-463-0524 Byron Cook R HD8 512-463-0730 Tom Craddick R HD82 512-463-0500 Brandon Creighton R HD16 512-463-0726 Myra Crownover R HD64 512-463-0582 Drew Darby R HD72 512-463-0331 John Davis R HD129 512-463-0734 Sarah Davis R HD134 512-463-0389 Yvonne Davis D HD111 512-463-0598 Joe Deshotel D HD22 512-463-0662 Joe Driver R HD113 512-463-0574 Dawnna Dukes D HD46 512-463-0506 Harold Dutton D HD142 512-463-0510 Craig Eiland D HD23 512-463-0502 Rob Eissler R HD15 512-463-0797 Gary Elkins R HD135 512-463-0722 Joe Farias D HD118 512-463-0714 Jessica Farrar D HD148 512-463-0620 Allen Fletcher R HD130 512-463-0661 Sergio Munoz, Jr.
    [Show full text]
  • Subcommittee Assignments
    H OUSE A PPROPRIATIONS C OMMITTEE TEXAS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES P.O. BOX 2910 • AUSTIN, TEXAS 78768-2910 GREG BONNEN CAMERON COCKE CHAIR COMMITTEE DIRECTOR MARY GONZÁLEZ Room E1.032 VICE CHAIR 512-463-1091 TO: MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE FROM: REPRESENTATIVE GREG BONNEN, M.D., CHAIRMAN DATE: FEBRUARY 18, 2021 RE: SUBCOMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS Members, Due to inclement weather, the House Appropriations Committee will not convene for the previously posted hearing on Thursday, February 18, 2021. Pursuant to Rule 4, Sections 43 and 44, each committee may conduct its business through the use of subcommittees as determined by the chair, who shall appoint the membership of each subcommittee. Therefore, contingent upon entry of subcommittee appointments into the committee record, I create the following subcommittees and name the following chairs and members of each subcommittee: Subcommittee on Articles I, IV, and V Representative Mary González, CHAIR Representative Matt Schaefer, VICE CHAIR Representative Trent Ashby Representative Justin Holland Representative Carl Sherman Subcommittee on Article II Representative Giovanni Capriglione, CHAIR Representative Toni Rose, VICE CHAIR Representative Donna Howard Representative John Raney Representative Jay Dean Representative Julie Johnson Representative Gary Gates Representative Ann Johnson Subcommittee on Article III Representative Terry Wilson, CHAIR Representative Erin Zwiener, VICE CHAIR Representative Geanie Morrison Representative Gene Wu Representative Gary VanDeaver Representative
    [Show full text]
  • Legislative Staff: 86Th Legislature
    HRO HOUSE RESEARCH ORGANIZATION Texas House of Representatives Legislative Staff 86th Legislature 2019 Focus Report No. 86-3 House Research Organization Page 2 Table of Contents House of Representatives ....................................3 House Committees ..............................................15 Senate ...................................................................18 Senate Committees .............................................22 Other State Numbers...........................................24 Cover design by Robert Inks House Research Organization Page 3 House of Representatives ALLEN, Alma A. GW.5 BELL, Cecil Jr. E2.708 Phone: (512) 463-0744 Phone: (512) 463-0650 Fax: (512) 463-0761 Fax: (512) 463-0575 Chief of staff ...........................................Anneliese Vogel Chief of staff .............................................. Ariane Marion Legislative director .....................................Jaime Puente Policy analyst ...........................................Clinton Harned Legislative aide....................................... Jennifer Russell Legislative aide.............................................Brian Aldaco ALLISON, Steve E1.512 BELL, Keith E2.702 Phone: (512) 463-0686 Phone: (512) 463-0458 Chief of staff .................................................Rocky Gage Fax: (512) 463-2040 Legislative director ...................................German Lopez Chief of staff .................................... Georgeanne Palmer Scheduler ...............................................Redding Mickler
    [Show full text]
  • IDEOLOGY and PARTISANSHIP in the 87Th (2021) REGULAR SESSION of the TEXAS LEGISLATURE
    IDEOLOGY AND PARTISANSHIP IN THE 87th (2021) REGULAR SESSION OF THE TEXAS LEGISLATURE Mark P. Jones, Ph.D. Fellow in Political Science, Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy July 2021 © 2021 Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy This material may be quoted or reproduced without prior permission, provided appropriate credit is given to the author and the Baker Institute for Public Policy. Wherever feasible, papers are reviewed by outside experts before they are released. However, the research and views expressed in this paper are those of the individual researcher(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the Baker Institute. Mark P. Jones, Ph.D. “Ideology and Partisanship in the 87th (2021) Regular Session of the Texas Legislature” https://doi.org/10.25613/HP57-BF70 Ideology and Partisanship in the 87th (2021) Regular Session of the Texas Legislature Executive Summary This report utilizes roll call vote data to improve our understanding of the ideological and partisan dynamics of the Texas Legislature’s 87th regular session. The first section examines the location of the members of the Texas Senate and of the Texas House on the liberal-conservative dimension along which legislative politics takes place in Austin. In both chambers, every Republican is more conservative than every Democrat and every Democrat is more liberal than every Republican. There does, however, exist substantial ideological diversity within the respective Democratic and Republican delegations in each chamber. The second section explores the extent to which each senator and each representative was on the winning side of the non-lopsided final passage votes (FPVs) on which they voted.
    [Show full text]
  • Steven F. Hotze, M.D., the Sponsor Committee and Conservative
    SPONSOR COMMITTEE US Senators Cecil Bell Kenneth Sheets John Cornyn Dwayne Bohac Ralph Sheffield Ted Cruz Dennis Bonnen Ron Simmons US Congressmen Greg Bonnen David Simpson Joe Barton Linda Harper Brown Wayne Smith John Carter Cindy Burkett John Smithee John Culberson Angie Chen Button Drew Springer Sam Johnson Giovanni Capriglione Phil Stephenson Michael McCaul Travis Clardy Jonathan Stickland Pete Olson Byron Cook Ed Thompson Pete Sessions Tom Craddick Steve Toth Lamar Smith Myra Crownover Scott Turner Steve Stockman Drew Darby Jason Villaba Randy Weber John Davis James White Roger Williams Gary Elkins John Zerwas Statewide Officials Marsha Farney Bill Zedler PUBL Christie Craddick Allen Fletcher State Representative RE IC E AN IV S Susan Combs Dan Flynn Candidates T A O V F David Dewhurst Matt Frause Rodney Anderson R T E E S Jerry Patterson John Frullo TJ Fabby X N A O S Barry Smitherman Charlie Geren Wayne Faircloth C Todd Staples Craig Goldman Rob Henneke Statewide Patricia Harless Al Hoang Candidates Harvey Hilderbran Mark Keough Dan Branch Dan Huberty Brooks Langraf Wayne Christian Bryan Hughes Morgan Meyer DEFENSE OF TEXAS MARRIAGE Sid Miller Todd Hunter Dennis Paul Dan Patrick Jason Isaac Ted Seago AMENDMENT RALLY Ken Paxton Kyle Kacal Mike Schofield Ryan Sitton Ken King Matt Shaheen State Senators Phil King Stuart Spitzer Brian Birdwell Tim Kleinschmidt Conservative Donna Campbell Stephanie Klick Organization Craig Estes Lois Kolkhorst Leaders Troy Fraser John Kuempel Norman Adams Kelly Hancock Lyle Larson Dr. Ted Behr Jane Nelson Jodie Laubenberg Gary Bennet Robert Nichols George Lavender Gina Gleason Charles Schwertner Jeff Leach Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • M E M O R a N D
    Texas Legislature Weekly Report March 19, 2021 Bill Filing Deadline – The deadline for legislators to file bills to be considered by the Texas Senate and House this session was 6:00 p.m. on Friday, March 12, 2021. The filing deadline does not apply to local bills, concurrent resolutions or simple resolutions. A total of 4,728 HB’s/HJR’s and 2,191 SB’s/SJR’s were filed for a total of 6,919 bills. 2,629 were filed in the last week. That compares to: 2021 bills filed by the deadline – 6,919 (down 362 from 2019) 2019 bills filed by the deadline – 7,281 (up 627 over 2017) 2017 bills filed by the deadline – 6,654 2015 bills filed by the deadline – 6,107 2013 bills filed by the deadline – 5,665 2011 bills filed by the deadline – 5,672 2009 bills filed by the deadline – 7,136 PUBLIC EDUCATION: House Public Education Committee – On Tuesday, the House Public Education Committee took up: HB 129 by Mary Gonzalez (D-El Paso) would require digital citizenship and media literacy education for K-12 students. It would add to the definition of “digital citizenship”: • cyberbullying prevention and response; • digital ethics, etiquette, safety, and security, including the identification of hate speech, racism and discrimination; and • media literacy including the ability to identify credible sources of information. In support were representatives of Texas Association of School Administrators, Association of Texas Professional Educators, Texas AFT, Texas Impact, Texas PTA, Intercultural Development Research Association, Texas Association of Broadcasters, Decoding Dyslexia, Texans Advocating for Meaningful Student Assessment, and United Ways of Texas.
    [Show full text]
  • TSTA-PAC 2018 Endorsements Primary Winners / Runoffs / Friendly Incumbents
    TSTA-PAC 2018 Endorsements Primary Winners / Runoffs / Friendly Incumbents Ryan Guillen - Rio Grande City HD 31** Republican Texas Senate Eric Johnson - Dallas HD 100** Kel Seliger - Amarillo SD 31** Jarvis Johnson - Houston HD 139 Julie Johnson - Dallas HD 115 Texas House of Representatives Ina Minjarez -San Antonio HD 124 Steve Allison – San Antonio HD 121* René O. Oliveira - Brownsville HD 37* Ernest Bailes - Shepherd HD 18 Ron Reynolds - Missouri City HD 27** Keith Bell - Forney HD 4 Shawn Thierry - Houston HD 146** Travis Clardy - Nacogdoches HD 11 John Turner - Dallas HD 114 Scott Cosper - Killeen HD 54* Dan Flynn - Van HD 2 State Board of Education Charlie Geren - Fort Worth HD 99 Ruben Cortez, Jr. - Brownsville SBOE 2 Cody Harris - Palestine HD 8 Marisa B. Perez - San Antonio SBOE 3 Dan Huberty - Houston HD 127** Ken King - Canadian HD 88 General Election Early Endorsement Chris Paddie - Marshall HD 9** Texas Senate Four Price - Amarillo HD 87** Democratic John Raney - Bryan HD 14 Kirk Watson - Austin SD 14 J.D. Sheffield - Gatesville HD 59** Royce West - Dallas SD 23 Hugh Shine - Temple HD 55** Reggie Smith - Sherman HD 62 Texas House of Representatives Lynn Stucky - Sanger HD 64 Democratic Alma Allen - Houston HD 131 Rafael Anchia - Dallas HD 103 Democratic Lt. Governor Nicole Collier - Fort Worth HD 95 Mike Collier - Houston Jessica Farrar - Houston HD 148 Abel Herrero - Robstown HD 34 Texas Senate Gina Hinojosa - Austin HD 49 Beverly Powell - Tarrant SD 10 Donna Howard - Austin HD 48 Nathan Johnson - Dallas SD 16 Victoria Neave - Dallas HD 107 John Whitmire - Houston SD 15 Mary Ann Perez - Houston HD 144 Joseph C.
    [Show full text]
  • Lawmakers Line up to End Frack Attacks Industry Gave Lawmakers $5.5 Million in Latest Cycle
    His Master’s Voice: April 10, 2015 Lawmakers Line Up To End Frack Attacks Industry Gave Lawmakers $5.5 Million in Latest Cycle he Energy and Natural Resources indus- and Senate Natural Resources Committees that try was the No. 1 funder of Texas politi- already passed these measures. T cians in the 2014 cycle, supplying 17 cents of every non-judicial campaign dollar. No About half of the top oil-and-gas contributors to wonder swarms of lawmakers rushed to the res- current lawmakers have publicly endorsed these cue when the industry complained about local lead bills to preempt fracking regulations (see governments restricting fracking operations. As table on page 3). In perhaps the best measure of state officials indulge such fracking hazards as the industry’s political sponsorships, more than a earthquakes, air, noise and water pollution, local third of the House signed on to sponsor HB 40. governments are fighting back. Fraser leads the senate in dependency on oil and Oil and gas interests gave 31 Texas Senators a gas, which supplied 19 percent of his latest war total of $1.7 million in the 2014 cycle, or an av- chest. The energized senator also has a bill to erage of more than $56,000 apiece. They gave end the state’s wildly successful renewable- $3.8 million to 144 Texas House members—or electricity mandate and another to make it harder an average of more than $25,000 each. Re- for citizens to contest permits for industrial facil- searchers did not find oil and gas money in the ities such as power plants and refineries.
    [Show full text]
  • Representative Dan Huberty
    February 22, 2013 | Volume 3 | Issue 7 Representative "It's for the kids" Dan Huberty This past week at the Texas Capitol was all about the children of this great State. We started out slow, convening at 2 PM on Monday and heading right into the 83rd Session's first Congratulatory and Memorial Calendar. Once all Resolutions were adopted, the House adjourned. I arrived in Austin later than usual this day after participating in the Annual Humble ISD Golf Classic at Kingwood Country Club. It was a very successful event and raised money to support the district's student athletes. Tuesday brought the first, of what I assume will be many, very lengthy House Public Education Committee hearings. We were called to order at 2 PM, and did not adjourn until midnight. With the hot topic of testing and student assessment on the docket, our very first bill to hear, HB 5, had more CAPITOL OFFICE than 100 witnesses registered to testify. After more than 8 hours of Capitol Extension E2.722 testimony on HB 5, we covered the remaining seven bills set for hearing that P.O. Box 2910 day, including my own HB 224. I will cover this more in the newsletter Austin, TX 78768 below, but both of these pieces of legislation will be great for the students of Phone: 512.463.0520 Texas. DISTRICT OFFICE 4501 Magnolia Cove This week, we saw a large amount of visitors from across Texas, but Suite 201 specifically brought students, and House District 127 constituents, from Kingwood, TX 77345 Baylor University, the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor and Texas Tech Phone: 281.360.9410 University.
    [Show full text]
  • 2021 Nurse Day Program
    Welcome to TNA’s Nurse Day at the Capitol! Today is an exciting day — you join nurse colleagues from across the state to learn about nursing’s legislative agenda for the 87th session. Thank you for joining hundreds of nurses from across the state to advocate for our policy agenda with one strong voice. Though not gathered under the Capitol dome this year, our message is no less united and powerful as we connect virtually with policy makers to advance legislative interests to benefit nurses and the Texans we serve. Your presence with us today makes a difference! We hope you gain perspective of opportunities you have to engage with TNA, leverage your influence and advance the health of Texans. Previous participants have said that attending this event has been pivotal in their professional career — providing them a window into a whole new avenue of nursing influence and advocacy to improve patient care. We hope you share this experience and continue your involvement in TNA long after today. Thank you for participating in TNA’s Nurse Day at the Capitol! Sincerely, Tammy Eades, DNP, MSN, Cindy Zolnierek, PhD, RN, RN CAE President Chief Executive Officer Agenda February 8, 2021 1 – 1:15 p.m. Welcome Tammy Eades, DNP, MSN, RN President, Texas Nurses Association 1:15 – 1:50 p.m. Keynote: Texas’ Public Health Landscape John Hellerstedt, MD Commissioner Stay Informed! Texas Department of State Health Services Follow @TXNursesLege. 1:50 – 2 p.m. Break Use #TXNurseDay. 2 – 2:45 p.m. Nursing’s Role in Health Policy Serena Bumpus, DNP, MSN, RN Director of Practice, Texas Nurses Association 2:45 – 3:30 p.m.
    [Show full text]
  • Legislative Staff: 87Th Legislature
    HRO HOUSE RESEARCH ORGANIZATION Texas House of Representatives Legislative Staff 87th Legislature 2021 Focus Report No. 87-2 House Research Organization Page 2 Table of Contents House of Representatives ....................................3 House Committees ..............................................15 Senate ...................................................................18 Senate Committees .............................................22 Other State Numbers...........................................24 Cover design by Robert Inks House Research Organization Page 3 House of Representatives ALLEN, Alma A. GW.5 BELL, Cecil Jr. E2.708 Phone: (512) 463-0744 Phone: (512) 463-0650 Fax: (512) 463-0761 Fax: (512) 463-0575 Chief of staff ...........................................Anneliese Vogel Chief of staff .............................................. Ariane Marion Legislative director ................................. Adoneca Fortier Legislative aide......................................Joshua Chandler Legislative aide.................................... Sarah Hutchinson BELL, Keith E2.414 ALLISON, Steve E1.512 Phone: (512) 463-0458 Phone: (512) 463-0686 Fax: (512) 463-2040 Chief of staff .................................................Rocky Gage Chief of staff .................................... Georgeanne Palmer Legislative director/scheduler ...................German Lopez Legislative director ....................................Reed Johnson Legislative aide........................................ Rebecca Brady ANCHÍA, Rafael 1N.5
    [Show full text]