| 1 | 1 | | By: Pena (Senate Sponsor - Zaffirini) H.B. No. 2758 |
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| 2 | 2 | | (In the Senate - Received from the House May 4, 2011; |
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| 3 | 3 | | May 5, 2011, read first time and referred to Committee on Higher |
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| 4 | 4 | | Education; May 19, 2011, reported favorably by the following vote: |
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| 5 | 5 | | Yeas 6, Nays 0; May 19, 2011, sent to printer.) |
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| 6 | 6 | | |
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| 7 | 7 | | |
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| 8 | 8 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 9 | 9 | | AN ACT |
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| 10 | 10 | | relating to mandatory emergency alert systems at institutions of |
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| 11 | 11 | | higher education. |
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| 12 | 12 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 13 | 13 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter E, Chapter 51, Education Code, is |
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| 14 | 14 | | amended by adding Section 51.218 to read as follows: |
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| 15 | 15 | | Sec. 51.218. EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM. (a) In this section, |
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| 16 | 16 | | "institution of higher education" and "private or independent |
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| 17 | 17 | | institution of higher education" have the meanings assigned by |
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| 18 | 18 | | Section 61.003. |
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| 19 | 19 | | (b) Each institution of higher education and private or |
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| 20 | 20 | | independent institution of higher education shall establish an |
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| 21 | 21 | | emergency alert system for the institution's students and staff, |
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| 22 | 22 | | including faculty. The emergency alert system must use e-mail or |
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| 23 | 23 | | telephone notifications in addition to any other alert method the |
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| 24 | 24 | | institution considers appropriate to provide timely notification |
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| 25 | 25 | | of emergencies affecting the institution or its students and staff. |
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| 26 | 26 | | (c) At the time a student initially enrolls or registers for |
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| 27 | 27 | | courses or a staff member begins employment, the institution shall: |
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| 28 | 28 | | (1) obtain a personal telephone number or e-mail |
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| 29 | 29 | | address from the student or staff member to be used to notify the |
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| 30 | 30 | | individual in the event of an emergency; and |
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| 31 | 31 | | (2) register the student or staff member in the |
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| 32 | 32 | | institution's emergency alert system. |
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| 33 | 33 | | (d) A student or staff member may elect not to participate |
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| 34 | 34 | | in an emergency alert system established under this section. An |
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| 35 | 35 | | election under this subsection may be submitted electronically or |
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| 36 | 36 | | in writing, as chosen by the institution, and must be renewed at the |
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| 37 | 37 | | start of each academic year. |
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| 38 | 38 | | (e) The personal identifying information obtained from an |
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| 39 | 39 | | individual for the purpose of the emergency alert system of an |
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| 40 | 40 | | institution of higher education, including an e-mail address or |
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| 41 | 41 | | telephone number, is confidential and not subject to disclosure |
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| 42 | 42 | | under Section 552.021, Government Code. |
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| 43 | 43 | | (f) Each institution of higher education and private or |
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| 44 | 44 | | independent institution of higher education shall implement the |
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| 45 | 45 | | emergency alert system required by this section not later than the |
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| 46 | 46 | | spring 2012 semester. This subsection expires June 1, 2012. |
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| 47 | 47 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 48 | 48 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 49 | 49 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 50 | 50 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 51 | 51 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2011. |
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| 52 | 52 | | * * * * * |
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