| 1 | 1 | | 81R10016 CAS-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Edwards H.B. No. 3208 |
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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 public school counselors. |
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| 8 | 8 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 9 | 9 | | SECTION 1. Section 33.002(b), Education Code, is amended to |
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| 10 | 10 | | read as follows: |
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| 11 | 11 | | (b) A school district [with 500 or more students enrolled in |
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| 12 | 12 | | elementary school grades] shall employ a counselor [certified under |
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| 13 | 13 | | the rules of the State Board for Educator Certification] for each |
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| 14 | 14 | | [elementary] school in the district. [A school district shall |
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| 15 | 15 | | employ at least one counselor for every 500 elementary school |
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| 16 | 16 | | students in the district.] |
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| 17 | 17 | | SECTION 2. Section 42.152(i), Education Code, is amended to |
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| 18 | 18 | | read as follows: |
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| 19 | 19 | | (i) From the total amount of funds appropriated for |
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| 20 | 20 | | allotments under this section, the commissioner shall, each fiscal |
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| 21 | 21 | | year, withhold $7,500,000 or a greater amount as determined in the |
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| 22 | 22 | | General Appropriations Act and distribute that amount for programs |
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| 23 | 23 | | under Subchapter A, Chapter 33. [A program established under that |
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| 24 | 24 | | subchapter is required only in school districts in which the |
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| 25 | 25 | | program is financed by funds distributed under this section or |
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| 26 | 26 | | other funds distributed by the commissioner for a program under |
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| 27 | 27 | | that subchapter. In distributing those funds, preference shall be |
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| 28 | 28 | | given to a school district that received funds for a program under |
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| 29 | 29 | | this subsection for the preceding school year.] |
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| 30 | 30 | | SECTION 3. Sections 33.002(a) and (c), Education Code, are |
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| 31 | 31 | | repealed. |
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| 32 | 32 | | SECTION 4. This Act applies beginning with the 2009-2010 |
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| 33 | 33 | | school year. |
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| 34 | 34 | | SECTION 5. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 35 | 35 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 36 | 36 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 37 | 37 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 38 | 38 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |
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