Texas 2017 - 85th 1st C.S.

Texas House Bill HB351 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	85S11249 KKA-D
2	2	By: Faircloth H.B. No. 351
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the creation of a commission to evaluate the potential
8	8	continuation of additional state aid for tax reduction and
9	9	recommend improvements to the public school finance system.
10	10	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	11	SECTION 1. Chapter 42, Education Code, is amended by adding
12	12	Subchapter L to read as follows:
13	13	SUBCHAPTER L. TEXAS COMMISSION ON PUBLIC SCHOOL FINANCE
14	14	Sec. 42.601. DEFINITION. In this subchapter, "commission"
15	15	means the Texas Commission on Public School Finance.
16	16	Sec. 42.602. TEXAS COMMISSION ON PUBLIC SCHOOL FINANCE.
17	17	(a) The Texas Commission on Public School Finance is established
18	18	to:
19	19	(1) evaluate the potential continuation of additional
20	20	state aid for tax reduction;
21	21	(2) evaluate the feasibility of reducing required
22	22	payments under Chapter 41 for a school district in which at least 65
23	23	percent of the enrolled students are educationally disadvantaged or
24	24	at risk of dropping out of school, as defined by Section 29.081(d),
25	25	so that the resulting local revenue retained by the district may be
26	26	used to pay maintenance and operations costs; and
27	27	(3) develop and make recommendations for improvements
28	28	to the current public school finance system or for new methods of
29	29	financing public schools.
30	30	(b) The commission is composed of 15 members, consisting of
31	31	the following:
32	32	(1) four members appointed by the governor;
33	33	(2) three members appointed by the lieutenant
34	34	governor;
35	35	(3) three members appointed by the speaker of the
36	36	house of representatives;
37	37	(4) the chair of the senate committee on education, or
38	38	a representative designated by the chair;
39	39	(5) the chair of the senate committee on finance, or a
40	40	representative designated by the chair;
41	41	(6) the chair of the house of representatives
42	42	committee on public education, or a representative designated by
43	43	the chair;
44	44	(7) the chair of the house of representatives
45	45	committee on appropriations, or a representative designated by the
46	46	chair; and
47	47	(8) a member of the State Board of Education, as
48	48	designated by the chair of that board.
49	49	(c) In making appointments under Subsections (b)(1), (2),
50	50	and (3), the governor, lieutenant governor, and speaker of the
51	51	house of representatives shall coordinate to ensure that the
52	52	membership of the commission reflects, to the extent possible, the
53	53	ethnic diversity of this state and includes at least one of each of
54	54	the following representatives:
55	55	(1) an administrator in the public school system or an
56	56	elected member of the board of trustees of a school district;
57	57	(2) a member of the business community; and
58	58	(3) a member of the civic community.
59	59	Sec. 42.603. PRESIDING OFFICER. The governor shall
60	60	designate the presiding officer of the commission.
61	61	Sec. 42.604. COMPENSATION AND REIMBURSEMENT. A member of
62	62	the commission is not entitled to compensation for service on the
63	63	commission but is entitled to reimbursement for actual and
64	64	necessary expenses incurred in performing commission duties.
65	65	Sec. 42.605. ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT AND FUNDING.
66	66	(a) Staff members of the agency shall provide administrative
67	67	support for the commission.
68	68	(b) Funding for the administrative and operational expenses
69	69	of the commission shall be provided by appropriation to the agency
70	70	for that purpose.
71	71	Sec. 42.606. RECOMMENDATIONS. (a) The commission shall
72	72	develop recommendations under this subchapter to address issues
73	73	related to the public school finance system, including:
74	74	(1) whether the state should continue providing
75	75	additional state aid for tax reduction formerly provided under
76	76	Section 42.2516, based on an evaluation of the effect on school
77	77	districts of the loss of that state aid, with a focus on districts
78	78	for which that state aid constituted at least four percent of the
79	79	districts' annual maintenance and operations budgets;
80	80	(2) whether the state should modify requirements
81	81	applicable to school districts under Chapter 41, as described by
82	82	Section 42.602(a)(2);
83	83	(3) the purpose of the public school finance system
84	84	and the relationship between state and local funding in that
85	85	system;
86	86	(4) the appropriate levels of local maintenance and
87	87	operations and interest and sinking fund tax effort necessary to
88	88	implement a public school finance system that complies with the
89	89	requirements under the Texas Constitution; and
90	90	(5) policy changes to the public school finance system
91	91	necessary to adjust for student demographics and the geographic
92	92	diversity in the state.
93	93	(b) The commission may establish one or more working groups
94	94	composed of not more than five members of the commission to study,
95	95	discuss, and address specific policy issues and recommendations to
96	96	refer to the commission for consideration.
97	97	Sec. 42.607. REPORT. Not later than December 31, 2018, the
98	98	commission shall prepare and deliver a report to the governor and
99	99	the legislature that recommends statutory changes to improve the
100	100	public school finance system, including any adjustments to funding
101	101	to account for student demographics.
102	102	Sec. 42.608. PUBLIC MEETINGS AND PUBLIC INFORMATION.
103	103	(a) The commission may hold public meetings as needed to fulfill
104	104	its duties under this subchapter.
105	105	(b) The commission is subject to Chapters 551 and 552,
106	106	Government Code.
107	107	Sec. 42.609. COMMISSION ABOLISHED; EXPIRATION OF
108	108	SUBCHAPTER. (a) The commission is abolished January 8, 2019.
109	109	(b) This subchapter expires January 8, 2019.
110	110	SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
111	111	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
112	112	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
113	113	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
114	114	Act takes effect on the 91st day after the last day of the
115	115	legislative session.