Legislative Committee
Kelly Moody & Michael Darby

Booster seat bill

SB 61 has been reported favorably from committee and recommended for the Local and Contested Committee Calendar. Many thanks to Heather Ashwell-Hair who testified on behalf of SB 61 in Senate Transportation and Homeland Security Committee.

HB 528, the House companion bill, has been held in House Calendars Committee because of a concern Texas Municipal League, the association that represents cities, has with the fines going somewhere other than cities. We are working on an amendment that creates a .15 court fee to pay for booster seats for low income families and allows the fine to go to cities.

Cell phone use prohibition by driving teens bill

HB 339 is sitting in Calendars Committee awaiting posting for consideration on the House Floor.

We expect SB 772 to be heard next week in Senate Transportation and Homeland Security

Sales Tax Holiday Bills
Two bills that would exempt certain school supplies from taxation were heard Monday night in House Ways and Means committee. HB 424 and HB 1801 were left pending in committee after the hearing in which Mary Jo Burgess testified for the bill. Many thanks to Mary Jo Burgess who represented parents across Texas very capably!!

SB 144, the sales tax holiday bill in the Senate, is still pending in Senate Finance Committee. It is a much more costly bill because it exempts many more items, but we have been working to get it amended so that it is consistent with our bill in the House. We think it will have a better chance of being passed with a lower fiscal impact.

Healthy Lifestyles
HB 159, that requires 20 minutes of time daily for recess in addition to physical activity requirements, will be heard this week in committee.

HB 2452 that limits the pupil teacher ratio of PE classes will be heard this week in House Public Education.

HB 3741, that requires school districts to employ at least 1 person certified in PE instruction and describes curriculum for PE, will be heard in House Public Education this week.

SB 424, that establishes a school-based influenza vaccination pilot program, has passed form the Senate and been referred to House Public Health.

SB 1027, that establishes an interagency farm-to-school task force to promote a healthy diet for school children by facilitating the use of locally grown food products in public schools, has passed the Senate and been referred to House Agriculture and Livestock.

SB 205, that establishes a Governor-appointed seven-member advisory committee called Texas Partnership for Children in Nature to develop and assist in the implementation of strategies and programs that would offer increased opportunities for outdoor recreation and educational activities for children, has passed from the Senate and been referred to House Committee on Culture, Recreation and Tourism.

SB 282, that creates a grant program to provide nutrition education to children, has passed from the Senate. It will now go to the House for consideration.

SB 892, that requires schools to evaluate their coordinated school health program as part of their campus improvement plan, is set for the Local Calendar in the Senate.

SB 1344, that requires State Board of Education to adopt essential knowledge and skills that address binge drinking and alcohol poisoning for inclusion in Health Curriculum, passed from Senate Education. It will now go to the Senate floor for debate.

The following bills have passed from the Senate and been referred to House Public Education for consideration by the House:
SB 283, that adds requirements for school health advisory councils to increase parent participation.

SB 343, that creates an advisory committee to study availability of healthy foods in underserved areas of Texas and the impact of limited availability on children.

SB 344, that establishes an advisory committee to study the acceptance at farmers markets of food stamps under the Women, Infants and Children Supplemental Food Program.

SB 870, that creates the Interagency Obesity Council to create a plan to address obesity in Texas.

SB 158, that requires schools to give written notice to parents if a school is without a nurse for 30 consecutive school days, has passed from the Senate and been referred to House Public Ed.

SB 891, that defines physical education and requires each school district to establish PE curriculum, and encourages them to set student/teacher ratios for class size.

Voucher Bills
HB 2823, that clarifies which entities are eligible for public funding for dropout recovery and reduction programs, is in House Local Calendar.

SB 1217, that uses appropriated money through the Health and Human Services Commission to create a program for children 3-8 who are diagnosed w autism spectrum disorder was passed from the Senate and heads now to the House for consideration.

Texas PTA is working with staff of Senator Shapiro on HB 2204, the bill that creates a voucher program for students that require institutional placement for autism.  At issue is the method of funding for the program.

All other voucher bills are pending in committees in both House and Senate at this time.

 

School Finance bills are being heard this week.

 

School Accountability bills are being heard again this week.
 
OTHER NEWS FROM THE CAPITOL

 

PERRY SIGNS FIRST BILL OF SESSION
Governor Perry has signed the first bill of what is by many accounts a slow moving session thus far. SB 769 gives power companies the ability to secure credit in order to pay costs incurred by getting the power back on in homes and businesses after extreme weather. Once the budget goes to Conference Committee next week expect things to pick up significantly in the way of signed bills with less than 50 days to go in the session.

HOUSE OKs $3 BILLION FOR SUPPLEMENTAL BUDGET BILL
The Texas House has tentatively adopted a $3 billion plan to help state agencies cover unexpected costs. The measure, approved Thursday by a 141-5 vote, includes spending on expenses associated with Hurricane Ike and the restoration of the fire-ravaged Governor's Mansion. It depends heavily on federal stimulus money, including $1.6 billion to help cover rising Medicaid costs. The measure is to close out the 2008-2009 budget period, which ends in August. (Statesman)

HOUSE PASSES BUDGET FOR 2010-2011 UNANIMOUSLY
The Texas House voted unanimously early Saturday morning to pass their version of the budget. The next step is for 5 members of the Senate and 5 members of the House to work out the differences between the Senate version and the House version. The House version of the bill contains language that prohibits the use of state dollars for voucher programs.

BUCKING PERRY SENATE SEEKS UNEMPLOYMENT MONEY
The Texas Senate gave preliminary approval Thursday to legislation allowing the state to receive $555 million in federal stimulus money for unemployment benefits, despite Gov. Rick Perry's assertion that he does not want those dollars. The Senate voted 22-9 for the proposal by Sen. Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler, to expand the state's unemployment program in order to accept that money. Eltife said he hopes the Senate will give the measure final approval Monday. Eltife's bill would alter the work period used to determine unemployment eligibility and benefits, a required change that alone would get the state $185 million in federal money. To qualify for the remaining $370 million, Eltife has proposed extending benefits to workers looking for part-time jobs and to people who have left a job for "compelling family reasons," such as illness or a spouse's move to a new job. Perry has argued that taking the stimulus dollars would force Texas to expand the unemployment program. With opposition from some business groups, there were questions about whether Eltife could persuade eight fellow Republicans to join with Democrats to give him the 21 votes he needed to bring the bill up for consideration. Ultimately, 12 Democrats and 10 Republicans voted for the bill. Now he'll need to get 21 again to bring it up for final passage. Opponents of the bill will probably pressure some senators to change their vote before Monday. Eltife argued to senators that taking the federal money would allow the state to borrow less to help its struggling unemployment trust fund. The changes in this bill are paid for nine full years by the stimulus money," Eltife said. "We have nine years - that's four more sessions - to revert back to current law." But Texas Association of Business President Bill Hammond, who opposes the bill, said he doubts the Legislature would go back to current law. "We've tried to pass some fairly moderate reforms over the years, and labor has tried to pass some of these changes that were enacted today, and neither side has had any luck," he said. "The fact is that it's much easier to kill a bill than it is to pass a bill." (Statesman)