Last Monday, November 9, was the
first day for our Texas legislators to file bills for the 2021 Legislative
Session. As of this evening (Monday, November 16), 580 bills have been filed in
the House. A couple things to note:
1. Here
is a list of House bills filed and updated regularly.
2. Here
is the list of Senate bills filed, also updated regularly.
3. You can go to this site, create an account, and follow any bill. By doing so, you will receive updates on their movement through the legislative process.
We know Rep. Ken King filed HB 430
last Tuesday, the second day to file bills. The bill reads: “Relating to the termination
of the Texas Public School Employees Group Insurance Program for retirees.”
Understandably, as word got out about this, it created an uproar. Friday, Rep. King put out this document:
These are my thoughts on the bill and on Rep. King’s response:
- In the bill, why did Rep. King refer to it as “the Texas Public School Employees Group Insurance” rather than as “TRS,” “TRS-Care” or “Teacher Retirement System”? Personally, I have never heard anyone refer to it the way Rep. King did. The suspicious side of me wonders if that was done in the hopes it would not be noticed.
- Why didn’t Rep. King include his entire plan on this bill but rather just the “termination” of insurance for TRS retirees?
- For good reason, we (retired public-school employees) obviously have trust issues. As I read Rep. King’s final paragraph, I had to remember that he is rated “Friendly” by Texans for Public Education. This group does extensive research and has T4PE members vote before rating our legislators “Friendly,” “Neutral,” or “Unfriendly” to public education.
I read through all 580 of the
bills that have been filed, as of today, and below are the ones related to
public-ed, our students, and TRS. I have marked the three TRS-related bills in
red. What troubles me is this:
1. The
Texas Legislature has not given TRS retirees a COLA (cost-of-living adjustment)
since 2013, and that only covered those who retired on or before August 31,
2004.
2. Prior
to the COLA that began in October of 2013, TRS retirees had not been given a
COLA since 2001.
3. Understand
that this means any TRS member who has retired since September 1, 2004 has
NEVER received a COLA!!!
4. The
2017 Texas Legislature created a huge disparity between the insurance for TRS
and ERS retirees.
5. Despite all of this, there are currently only three bills that have been filed in the House related to TRS. WHY?
I urge you to peruse the filed
bills in the list below, pick out the ones that concern/interest you most, and read
my directions at the top of this post so you can follow them.
House bills-Done! In the next day or two, I will do the same
with the Senate bills. I will update both lists as more bills are filed in each
House, so keep checking back!
ARE YOU READY FOR JANUARY?
House Bills Filed
|
Author: |
Dominguez |
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Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
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Caption: |
Relating
to funding for school districts to provide inclusive and accessible
playgrounds. |
|
Author: |
Neave |
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Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
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Caption: |
Relating
to social work services in public schools. |
|
Author: |
Talarico |
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Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
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Caption: |
Relating
to educational requirements for certain incarcerated students. |
|
Author: |
Talarico |
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Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
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Caption: |
Relating
to a cap on the monthly price of insulin and insulin supplies. |
|
Author: |
Talarico |
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Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
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Caption: |
Relating
to class size limits and student/teacher ratios for prekindergarten classes
provided by or on behalf of public schools. |
|
Author: |
Canales |
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Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
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|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to presumptive coverage for school district employees that contract COVID-19. |
|
Author: |
Zwiener |
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Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to the prohibition against sexual harassment in the workplace. |
|
Author: |
Talarico |
|
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Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to establishing an Office of Early Childhood to coordinate, consolidate and
integrate early childhood programs. |
|
Author: |
Swanson |
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Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to the carrying and possession of a concealed handgun by a school marshal. |
|
|
Author: |
Talarico |
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Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
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Caption: |
Relating
to civics instruction in public schools. |
|
Author: |
Murr |
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Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to the elimination of school district maintenance and operations ad valorem
taxes and the creation of a joint interim committee on the elimination of
those taxes. |
|
Author: |
Talarico |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to the use of disciplinary alternatives to suspension by a school district
and the creation of the restorative justice coordinating council. |
|
Author: |
Toth |
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|
Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to the definition of abuse of a child. |
|
Author: |
Rodriguez |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to a public school campus's election under a campus turnaround plan to
operate as a community school. |
|
Author: |
Lucio
III |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to pricing of and health benefit plan cost-sharing requirements for
prescription insulin. |
|
Author: |
Hinojosa |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to the admission policy of an open-enrollment charter school. |
|
Author: |
Hinojosa |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to the suspension and expulsion of a student attending an open-enrollment
charter school. |
|
Author: |
González,
Mary |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to requiring a digital citizenship curriculum. |
|
Author: |
González,
Mary |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to supplemental information required for inclusion with a written statement
of an individualized education program developed for certain public school
students who received special education services during the 2019-2020 or
2020-2021 school year. |
|
Author: |
Gervin-Hawkins |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to the inclusion of instruction regarding culturally inclusive curriculum
reflecting the cultural, linguistic and religious diversity of society. |
|
Author: |
Bernal |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to establishing a program designed to ensure health benefit plan coverage to
certain children through the private marketplace. |
|
Author: |
González,
Mary |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to improving training and staff development for primary and secondary
educators to enable them to more effectively serve all students. |
|
Author: |
Bernal |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to the compensatory education allotment for homeless students. |
|
Author: |
Bernal |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to a supporting medically fragile children program for the provision of
certain necessary health care services to those children. |
|
Author: |
Thierry |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to the employment of full-time registered nurses at public schools. |
|
Author: |
Canales |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to a severance payment to a superintendent or administrator serving as
educational leader and chief executive officer of an open-enrollment charter
school. |
|
Author: |
Rose |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to the destruction of juvenile court records of victims of sex trafficking. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Author: |
Thierry |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to requiring school districts and open-enrollment charter schools to provide
a landline telephone or panic button in every classroom. |
|
Author: |
Bernal |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to establishing resource campuses to improve a public school campus not
performing satisfactorily. |
|
Author: |
Bernal |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to social work services in public schools. |
|
Author: |
Bernal |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to student access to certain academic records; authorizing a fee. |
|
Author: |
Thompson,
Senfronia |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to the requirement and study of insurance coverage for serious emotional
disturbance of a child |
|
Author: |
González,
Mary |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to the establishment of a grant program for promoting computer science
certification and professional development in coding, technology
applications, and computer science for public school teachers. |
|
Author: |
Murr |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to the prosecution of the criminal offense of improper relationship between
educator and student. |
|
Author: |
Meza |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to employment leave for certain family or medical obligations. |
|
Author: |
Meza |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to establishing a minimum wage for school bus drivers. |
|
Author: |
Bernal |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to purchases made by a school district and open-enrollment charter school
using the instructional materials and technology allotment. |
|
Author: |
Cortez |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to addressing workplace bullying in school districts. |
|
Author: |
Canales |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to the appointment of an individual to a school district board of managers by
the commissioner of education. |
|
Author: |
González,
Mary |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to the employment of certified school counselors to comply with the ratio
requirement of counselors to public school students. |
|
Author: |
Stephenson |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to an exemption from ad valorem taxation by a school district for maintenance
and operations purposes of the total appraised value of a residence homestead
and the offsetting of the resulting revenue loss to school districts with
state sales and use tax revenue. |
|
Author: |
Collier |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to a certain requirement for an open-enrollment charter school's initial
application or expansion amendment. |
|
Author: |
Collier |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to the composition of the student body of an open-enrollment charter school. |
|
Author: |
Talarico |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to expanding the compensatory education allotment to allow funds to be used
to implement social-emotional learning programs. |
|
Author: |
Talarico |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating to establishing a Texas Service Corps to provide
student loan relief, job training, and work experience, in exchange for
providing community service in underserved areas. |
|
Author: |
Gates |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to funding for career and technology programs in public schools. |
|
Author: |
Talarico |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to air filtration efficiency standards at certain educational and child care
facilities. |
|
Author: |
Dutton |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to the consideration of certain student differentials based on sex under the
public school accountability system. |
|
Author: |
VanDeaver |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to restricting the use of personally identifiable student information by an operator
of a website, online service, online application, or mobile application used
for a school purpose and providing an exemption from certain restrictions for
a national assessment provider. |
|
Author: |
Gervin-Hawkins |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to the implementation of certain rules regarding public school accountability
adopted by the commissioner of education or the Texas Education Agency. |
|
Author: |
Reynolds |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to eliminating certain state-required end-of-course assessment instruments
not required by federal law. |
|
Author: |
Pacheco |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to eliminating the requirement to use public school assessment instruments as
a criterion for promotion or graduation. |
|
Author: |
Pacheco |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to the period for which a school district's participation in certain tax
increment financing reinvestment zones may be taken into account in
determining the total taxable value of property in the school district. |
|
Author: |
Johnson,
Julie |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to the terminology used to refer to an individualized education program team. |
|
Author: |
González,
Mary |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/10/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to speech protections for student publications in public schools. |
|
Author: |
King,
Ken |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/10/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to a continuing review and revision of the essential knowledge and skills of
the public school foundation curriculum and proclamations for the production
of instructional materials. |
|
Author: |
King, Ken |
|
|
Last Action: |
11/10/2020 H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating to the termination of the Texas Public School Employees
Group Insurance Program for retirees. |
|
Author: |
Bell,
Keith |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/10/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to the curriculum requirements for public high school students. |
|
Author: |
Goodwin |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/10/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to the requirements for a request for the revision of a charter for an
open-enrollment charter school. |
|
Author: |
Johnson,
Julie |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/10/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to health benefit coverage for hearing aids for children and adults. |
|
Author: |
Allison |
|
|
Last Action: |
11/10/2020 H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating to an appropriation of money from the economic
stabilization fund to the Teacher Retirement System of Texas. |
|
Author: |
González,
Mary |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/10/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to the establishment of a new open-enrollment charter school or campus and to
the expansion of an open-enrollment charter school. |
|
Author: |
Beckley |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/10/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to a school district policy regarding custodian workloads. |
|
Author: |
Beckley |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/10/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to a study by the Texas Education Agency regarding recommended standards for
school district facility maintenance and custodial services. |
|
Author: |
Springer |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/10/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to the career and technology education allotment under the Foundation School
Program. |
|
Author: |
White |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/12/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to the time period during which a court must interview certain children in
chambers on issues regarding conservatorship and residence in a suit
affecting the parent-child relationship. |
|
Author: |
Patterson |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/12/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to the removal of restrictions on funding and payment of costs for certain
full-time online educational programs. |
|
Author: |
Frank |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/12/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to authorizing equal opportunity for access by home-schooled students to
University Interscholastic League sponsored activities; authorizing a fee. |
|
Author: |
Israel |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/12/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to prohibited retaliation against state or local public employees for
reporting certain violations of law. |
|
Author: |
Bernal |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Proposing
a constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to limit the total
amount of ad valorem taxes that a school district may impose on the residence
homestead of an individual and the surviving spouse of the individual if the
individual qualifies the property as the individual's residence homestead for
15 consecutive tax years and the school taxes on the property increase by at
least 120 percent during that period. |
|
Author: |
Stephenson |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/09/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Proposing
a constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to exempt from ad
valorem taxation by a school district for maintenance and operations purposes
all or part of the appraised value of a residence homestead and to use state
money to offset the resulting revenue loss to school districts. |
|
Author: |
White |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/12/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Proposing
a constitutional amendment to reduce the allocation of certain general
revenue to the economic stabilization fund and to use that revenue for
certain science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)
scholarships. |
|
|
Author: |
Reynolds |
|
|
|
Last Action: |
11/13/2020 H Filed |
|
Caption: |
Relating to the election of trustees of certain school
districts. |
|
Author: |
Dutton |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/13/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to authorizing a dropout recovery competency-based educational pilot program
provided through a campus or campus program charter or open-enrollment
charter school. |
|
Author: |
Johnson,
Jarvis |
|
|
Last
Action: |
11/16/2020
H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating
to the Department of Family and Protective Services enrolling certain foster
children in the Preparation for Adult Living Program. |
|
Author: |
Stephenson |
|
|
Last Action: |
11/16/2020 H Filed |
|
|
Caption: |
Relating to establishing a joint interim committee to study the
cost-effectiveness and feasibility of implementing a pension revenue
enhancement plan for the Teacher Retirement System of Texas. |
https://capitol.texas.gov/Reports/Report.aspx?LegSess=87R&ID=housefiled
|
HB -House Bill |
Bills are used to make or amend laws. To take effect,
bills must be passed by both chambers of the legislature (House and Senate)
and approved by the governor. |
|
HCR – House Concurrent Resolution |
Concurrent resolutions may be used to request action from
other entities, including Congress, or for memorials, congratulations, or
commendations. They may also be used for administrative matters. Concurrent
resolutions must be approved by both chambers and may require approval by the
governor. |
|
HJR – House Joint Resolution |
Joint resolutions are used to propose amendments to the
Texas Constitution, to ratify amendments to the U.S. Constitution, or to
request a convention to consider amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Joint
resolutions must be approved by both chambers but do not require approval by
the governor. |
|
HR – House Resolution |
Simple resolutions are only considered by the chamber of
origin. They do not require approval by the governor. |
Chris Ardis retired in May of 2013 following a 29-year teaching career. She now works as a freelance writer and editor and remains committed to education educators, and students. Chris can be reached at cardis1022@aol.com. (Photo by Linda Blackwell, McAllen.)
I don't know if your still responding to your blog since you haven't responded to the last couple of questions I've had over past couple of months.I know you've got alot going on with this virus, but I just wanted to let you know Biden has got a recommendation out to end wep completely. Don't know if anything will come from it but at least he's talking about it unlike all these other politicians, I haven't heard anything about it in months. All we can do is hope, you can probably Google it to find this information
ReplyDeleteStay safe
I am so sorry! Google used to always send messages if someone posted a comment! I have not received any!
DeleteIf you haven't seen this interview I did with Congressman Vicente Gonzalez about the WEP and the GPO, I hope you will watch it: https://fb.watch/30Cg_cjDVy/
He insists that it is going to take educators (ALL public-ed employees and retirees, not just teachers), police officers, firefighters, and other affected public servants from across the country to get in the fight with us!
We canNOT give up hope, but we must also be a vocal part of the fight!!!!
Sorry again about the late response!