| 1 | 1 | | 81R6675 JSA-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Maldonado H.B. No. 1330 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to a legislative outreach program requiring members of the |
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| 8 | 8 | | legislature to visit public schools. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Chapter 301, Government Code, is amended by |
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| 11 | 11 | | adding Subchapter Z to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | SUBCHAPTER Z. MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS |
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| 13 | 13 | | Sec. 301.901. LEGISLATORS BACK-TO-SCHOOL PROGRAM. (a) |
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| 14 | 14 | | Each house of the legislature shall establish a program under which |
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| 15 | 15 | | members of that house visit public schools in their legislative |
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| 16 | 16 | | districts to inform students about the Texas Legislature and the |
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| 17 | 17 | | role of legislators in the legislative process, with emphasis on |
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| 18 | 18 | | the perspective and experiences of the individual legislator in |
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| 19 | 19 | | that process and the pressures, conflicts, and difficulties that a |
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| 20 | 20 | | legislator faces in addressing important public matters. Each |
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| 21 | 21 | | house shall provide its members with the resources necessary to |
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| 22 | 22 | | enable each member to effectively participate in the program, |
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| 23 | 23 | | including providing the member with references to available |
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| 24 | 24 | | resources developed by the National Conference of State |
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| 25 | 25 | | Legislatures or other appropriate entities. |
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| 26 | 26 | | (b) Under the program, each member of the legislature must |
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| 27 | 27 | | be required to visit at least five public schools in the member's |
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| 28 | 28 | | district during the two-year term of each legislature. To the |
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| 29 | 29 | | extent practicable, during that period a member shall visit at |
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| 30 | 30 | | least one public school in each accreditation status recognized by |
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| 31 | 31 | | the commissioner of education. Each visit must be planned in |
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| 32 | 32 | | advance with the participating school and must include one or more |
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| 33 | 33 | | opportunities for the member to interact with students in a |
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| 34 | 34 | | discussion or activity that furthers the purposes of the program. |
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| 35 | 35 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 36 | 36 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 37 | 37 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 38 | 38 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 39 | 39 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |
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