Texas 2009 - 81st Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB300 Compare Versions

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1	1	S.B. No. 300
2	2
3	3
4	4	AN ACT
5	5	relating to eliminating or modifying certain mandates on school
6	6	districts.
7	7	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
8	8	SECTION 1. Subsection (d), Section 11.1513, Education Code,
9	9	is amended to read as follows:
10	10	(d) The employment policy must provide that not later than
11	11	the 10th school day before the date on which a district fills a
12	12	vacant position for which a certificate or license is required as
13	13	provided by Section 21.003, other than a position that affects the
14	14	safety and security of students as determined by the board of
15	15	trustees, the district must provide to each current district
16	16	employee:
17	17	(1) notice of the position by posting the position on:
18	18	(A) a bulletin board at:
19	19	(i) a place convenient to the public in the
20	20	district's central administrative office; and
21	21	(ii) the central administrative office of
22	22	each campus in the district during any time the office is open; or
23	23	[and]
24	24	(B) the district's Internet website, if the
25	25	district has a website; and
26	26	(2) a reasonable opportunity to apply for the
27	27	position.
28	28	SECTION 2. Section 25.112, Education Code, is amended by
29	29	amending Subsection (d) and adding Subsections (e), (f), and (g) to
30	30	read as follows:
31	31	(d) On application of a school district, the commissioner
32	32	may except the district from the limit in Subsection (a) if the
33	33	commissioner finds the limit works an undue hardship on the
34	34	district. An exception expires at the end of the school year
35	35	[semester] for which it is granted[, and the commissioner may not
36	36	grant an exception for:
37	37	[(1) more than one semester at a time].
38	38	(e) A school district seeking an exception under Subsection
39	39	(d) shall notify the commissioner and apply for the exception not
40	40	later than the later of:
41	41	(1) October 1; or
42	42	(2) the 30th day after the first school day the
43	43	district exceeds the limit in Subsection (a).
44	44	(f) If a school district repeatedly fails to comply with
45	45	this section, the commissioner may take any appropriate action
46	46	authorized to be taken by the commissioner under Section 39.131.
47	47	(g) Not later than January 1, 2011, the agency shall report
48	48	to the legislature the number of applications for exceptions under
49	49	Subsection (d) submitted by each school district and for each
50	50	application indicate whether the application was granted or denied.
51	51	This subsection expires February 1, 2011.
52	52	SECTION 3. Section 34.0021, Education Code, is amended by
53	53	amending Subsections (a) and (b) and adding Subsection (c-1) to
54	54	read as follows:
55	55	(a) Pursuant to the safety standards established by the
56	56	Department of Public Safety under Section 34.002, each school
57	57	district may [shall] conduct a training session for students and
58	58	teachers concerning procedures for evacuating a school bus during
59	59	an emergency.
60	60	(b) A school district that chooses to conduct a training
61	61	session under Subsection (a) is encouraged to [shall] conduct the
62	62	school bus emergency evacuation training session [at least twice
63	63	each school year, with one training session occurring] in the fall
64	64	of the school year [and one training session occurring in the
65	65	spring]. The school district is also encouraged to structure the
66	66	training session so that the session applies to school bus
67	67	passengers, a [A] portion of the [training] session occurs [must
68	68	occur] on a school bus, and the [training] session lasts [must last]
69	69	for at least one hour.
70	70	(c-1) Immediately before each field trip involving
71	71	transportation by school bus, a school district is encouraged to
72	72	review school bus emergency evacuation procedures with the school
73	73	bus passengers, including a demonstration of the school bus
74	74	emergency exits and the safe manner to exit.
75	75	SECTION 4. Section 44.902, Education Code, is amended to
76	76	read as follows:
77	77	Sec. 44.902. LONG-RANGE ENERGY PLAN [GOAL] TO REDUCE
78	78	CONSUMPTION OF ELECTRIC ENERGY. (a) The board of trustees of a
79	79	school district shall establish a long-range energy plan [goal] to
80	80	reduce the [school] district's annual electric consumption by five
81	81	percent beginning with the 2008 [each] state fiscal year and
82	82	consume electricity in subsequent fiscal years in accordance with
83	83	the district's energy plan [for six years beginning September 1,
84	84	2007].
85	85	(b) The plan required under Subsection (a) must include:
86	86	(1) strategies for achieving energy efficiency that:
87	87	(A) result in net savings for the district; or
88	88	(B) can be achieved without financial cost to the
89	89	district; and
90	90	(2) for each strategy identified under Subdivision
91	91	(1), the initial, short-term capital costs and lifetime costs and
92	92	savings that may result from implementation of the strategy.
93	93	(c) In determining under Subsection (b) whether a strategy
94	94	may result in financial cost to the district, the board of trustees
95	95	shall consider the total net costs and savings that may occur over
96	96	the seven-year period following implementation of the strategy.
97	97	(d) The board of trustees may submit the plan required under
98	98	Subsection (a) to the State Energy Conservation Office for the
99	99	purposes of determining whether funds available through loan
100	100	programs administered by the office are available to the district.
101	101	SECTION 5. Subsection (b), Section 44.901, Education Code,
102	102	is repealed.
103	103	SECTION 6. This Act applies beginning with the 2009-2010
104	104	school year.
105	105	SECTION 7. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
106	106	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
107	107	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
108	108	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
109	109	Act takes effect September 1, 2009.
110	110	______________________________ ______________________________
111	111	President of the Senate Speaker of the House
112	112	I hereby certify that S.B. No. 300 passed the Senate on
113	113	March 25, 2009, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0; and that
114	114	the Senate concurred in House amendment on May 30, 2009, by the
115	115	following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.
116	116	______________________________
117	117	Secretary of the Senate
118	118	I hereby certify that S.B. No. 300 passed the House, with
119	119	amendment, on May 27, 2009, by the following vote: Yeas 148,
120	120	Nays 0, one present not voting.
121	121	______________________________
122	122	Chief Clerk of the House
123	123	Approved:
124	124	______________________________
125	125	Date
126	126	______________________________
127	127	Governor