Capitol Watch Alert Archive
Governor Adds School Funding to Special Session Call
On October 31, Gov. Greg Abbott announced that he had issued a proclamation expanding the Special Session #3 agenda for universal school choice to include additional school finance, such as teacher pay raises, school safety, and special education. According to the...
House Files Omnibus Education Bill that Includes Taxpayer-Funded Voucher Program
Late in the day Thursday, October 19, House Public Education Committee Chair Brad Buckley filed HB 1. The 184-page bill covers myriad topics, including an education savings account (ESA) voucher program. A hearing on HB 1 has not been scheduled because all the other...
Voucher Bill Voted Out of Senate Education Committee
The Senate gaveled in briefly October 10 for day two of the Third Called Special Session before Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced that the Senate would stand at ease until Thursday, October 12. The Senate Education Committee then met and heard hours of testimony on SB 1,...
Voucher Bill by Sen. Creighton Filed
SB 1 by Sen. Brandon Creighton was filed Monday evening. The $500 million program would be funded out of General Revenue and administered through the Comptroller’s office. Other provisions of the voucher bill include: $8,000 per eligible student annually to pay for...
SB 2 Relating to School Funding Passes Out of Senate Finance Committee
On Monday, October 9, Sen. Brandon Creighton, chair of the Senate Education Committee, filed SB 2, which includes the following: Provides for a one-time Teacher Retention Payment for this school year that will be considered a bonus payment and extended after this...
Initial Interim Report Released by House Select Committee on Educational Opportunity and Enrichment
On August 11, 2023, the Texas House Select Committee on Education Opportunity and Enrichment released its initial interim report to the 88th Texas Legislature. The committee made a host of recommendations in response to its three charges: Charge 1: Ensuring all Texas...
Texas House & Senate Pass Property Tax Relief
On Thursday, July 13, after a weeks-long impasse, both the House and Senate passed property tax relief measures. The two bills are now headed to the governor’s desk. SB 2 and SB 3 include the following: Compress tax rates by 10.7 cents ($12 billion) Increase the...
Meeting July 11-12: House Select Committee on Educational Opportunity & Enrichment
The House Select Committee on Educational Opportunity & Enrichment will meet in Room 140 of the John H. Reagan Building (northwest of the Capitol) starting at 10 a.m., Tuesday, July 11, and starting at 9 a.m., Wednesday, July 12, to hear invited testimony on:...
Speaker Creates Select Committee on Educational Opportunity and Enrichment
Texas Speaker of the House Dade Phelan announced Monday the creation of a new Select Committee on Educational Opportunity and Enrichment, noting it was done with "a special session on education matters all but certain." The select committee will be composed of the...
Education Bills Passed by the 88th Texas Legislature
The following bills related to K-12 education have been passed by the 88th Texas Legislature and sent to and/or signed by the governor. For bills sent to the governor within 10 days of final adjournment, which is May 29, 2023, the governor has until 20 days after...
TASA Participates in Press Conference on Vouchers/Funding
TASA Executive Director Kevin Brown participated in a press conference called by public education supporters Monday morning at the Capitol. Brown spoke alongside Christy Rome, executive director of the Texas School Coalition, and Nancy Humphrey, president of the Plano...
Vouchers Died with HB 100, but So Did Most New Funding
On Saturday, Chairman Ken King, author of HB 100, announced that the bill would not be passed. When HB 100 returned to the House from the Senate it had a universal ESA/voucher program attached to it. "In a good faith effort, the House continued to negotiate with the...
Budget Conference Committee Releases Report
The conference committee charged with reconciling the differences between the House and Senate versions of HB 1, the state budget bill, has released its report. The budget calls for about $33 billion in general revenue and $63.5 billion in all funds for public...
HB 100 Goes to Conference Committee
Chairman Ken King, author of HB 100, refused to concur with Senate amendments to the bill on Thursday and requested the appointment of a conference committee to negotiate the differences between the House and Senate versions. The House conferees are: Reps. King,...
Action Alert: Voucher Bill Back in House; Contact Your Rep Today
The 88th legislative session ends Monday, and as noted in this TASA Capitol Watch Alert, CSHB 100, as amended by the Senate, includes a voucher/ESA provision and only a meager increase to the Basic Allotment at a time when the state has an unprecedented surplus of...
Senate Returns Voucher-Laden CSHB 100 to House
The Texas Senate passed CSHB 100 on a vote of 18-13 just before midnight last night (Tuesday, May 23). The bill, originally focused on teacher retention and pay increases, was substituted in the Senate Education Committee with a version containing many provisions TASA...
Senate Education Committee Votes Out More House Bills
The Senate Education Committee reconvened on Monday, May 22, and voted out the following House bills related to K-12: HB 114 (Thompson) gives public schools discretion in placing in a DAEP a student who possesses, uses, or is under the influence of marijuana on or...
Senate Education Committee Votes Out Sub for HB 100 Containing ESA/Voucher
The Senate Education Committee met this morning (Monday, May 22) to conduct a hearing that wasn't called until late Sunday night. The only agenda item was the committee substitute for HB 100. The 133-page bill, originally focused on teacher retention and pay raises,...
Action Alert: Voucher in Sub for HB 100 on Senate Ed Agenda Today
Late Sunday night, the Senate Education Committee posted a hearing notice for today, Monday, May 22, at 8:30 a.m. with the only agenda item being the committee substitute for HB 100. The 133-page bill has been amended with many provisions TASA members have opposed...
Fund Texas Public Schools, Not Voucher Schemes
With the 88th legislative session quickly coming to a close, and the major bill that would increase funding for public school students through an increase to the Basic Allotment (BA) stalled in the Texas Senate, the Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA)...