Texas 2019 - 86th Regular

Texas House Bill HB4560 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	86R13096 MEW-D
2	2	By: Turner of Tarrant H.B. No. 4560
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the salary, wages, and reimbursement paid to public
8	8	school employees and state assistance for school employees uniform
9	9	group health coverage; making an appropriation.
10	10	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	11	SECTION 1. Section 21.402, Education Code, is amended by
12	12	adding Subsections (c-2), (c-3), and (d) and amending Subsection
13	13	(g) to read as follows:
14	14	(c-2) Notwithstanding Subsection (a), for the 2019-2020
15	15	school year, a classroom teacher, full-time librarian, full-time
16	16	school counselor certified under Subchapter B, or full-time school
17	17	nurse is entitled to a monthly salary that is at least equal to the
18	18	sum of:
19	19	(1) the monthly salary the employee would have
20	20	received for the 2019-2020 school year under the district's salary
21	21	schedule for the 2018-2019 school year, if that schedule had been in
22	22	effect for the 2019-2020 school year, including any local
23	23	supplement and any money representing a career ladder supplement
24	24	the employee would have received in the 2019-2020 school year; and
25	25	(2) $300.
26	26	(c-3) Subsection (c-2) and this subsection expire September
27	27	1, 2020.
28	28	(d) A classroom teacher, full-time librarian, full-time
29	29	school counselor certified under Subchapter B, or full-time school
30	30	nurse employed by a school district in the 2019-2020 school year is,
31	31	as long as the employee is employed by the same district, entitled
32	32	to a salary that is at least equal to the salary the employee
33	33	received for the 2019-2020 school year.
34	34	(g) The commissioner may adopt rules to govern the
35	35	application of this section, including rules that:
36	36	(1) require the payment of a minimum salary under this
37	37	section to a person employed in more than one capacity for which a
38	38	minimum salary is provided and whose combined employment in those
39	39	capacities constitutes full-time employment; and
40	40	(2) specify the credentials a person must hold to be
41	41	considered a [speech pathologist or] school nurse under this
42	42	section.
43	43	SECTION 2. Subchapter I, Chapter 21, Education Code, is
44	44	amended by adding Section 21.416 to read as follows:
45	45	Sec. 21.416. CLASSROOM SUPPLY REIMBURSEMENT. (a) For the
46	46	2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years, a school district shall
47	47	provide a reimbursement to each classroom teacher employed by the
48	48	district of up to $500 for the cost of classroom supplies purchased
49	49	by the teacher with the teacher's personal money for the benefit of
50	50	students.
51	51	(b) A classroom teacher may be reimbursed under the
52	52	classroom supply reimbursement program established under Section
53	53	21.414 for the cost of purchases eligible for reimbursement under
54	54	that section for which the teacher is not reimbursed under
55	55	Subsection (a).
56	56	(c) This section expires September 1, 2021.
57	57	SECTION 3. Section 22.107(a), Education Code, is amended to
58	58	read as follows:
59	59	(a) A school district shall pay each full-time district
60	60	employee, other than an administrator or an employee subject to the
61	61	minimum salary schedule under Section 21.402, an amount at least
62	62	equal to $3,500 [$500].
63	63	SECTION 4. Section 42.2513(a), Education Code, is amended
64	64	to read as follows:
65	65	(a) A school district, including a school district that is
66	66	otherwise ineligible for state aid under this chapter, is entitled
67	67	to state aid in an amount equal to the sum of:
68	68	(1) the product of $3,500 [$500] multiplied by the
69	69	number of full-time district employees, other than administrators
70	70	or employees subject to the minimum salary schedule under Section
71	71	21.402; [and]
72	72	(2) the product of $3,000 multiplied by the number of
73	73	classroom teachers, full-time librarians, full-time school
74	74	counselors certified under Subchapter B, Chapter 21, and full-time
75	75	school nurses employed by the district; and
76	76	(3) the product of $250 multiplied by the number of
77	77	part-time district employees, other than administrators.
78	78	SECTION 5. Section 42.260(c), Education Code, is amended to
79	79	read as follows:
80	80	(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of this code, a
81	81	school district or participating charter school may use the sum of
82	82	the following amounts of funds only to pay contributions under a
83	83	group health coverage plan for district or school employees:
84	84	(1) the amount determined by multiplying the amount
85	85	of $2,100 [$900] or the amount specified in the General
86	86	Appropriations Act for that year for purposes of the state
87	87	contribution under Section 1579.251, Insurance Code, by the number
88	88	of district or school employees who participate in a group health
89	89	coverage plan provided by or through the district or school; and
90	90	(2) the difference between the amount necessary for
91	91	the district or school to comply with Section 1581.052, Insurance
92	92	Code, for the school year and the amount the district or school is
93	93	required to use to provide health coverage under Section 1581.051,
94	94	Insurance Code, for that year.
95	95	SECTION 6. Section 1579.251, Insurance Code, is amended to
96	96	read as follows:
97	97	Sec. 1579.251. STATE ASSISTANCE. (a) The state shall
98	98	assist employees of participating school districts and charter
99	99	schools in the purchase of group health coverage under this chapter
100	100	by providing for each covered employee the amount of $2,100 [$900]
101	101	each state fiscal year or a greater amount as provided by the
102	102	General Appropriations Act. The state contribution shall be
103	103	distributed through the school finance formulas under Chapters 41
104	104	and 42, Education Code, and used by school districts and charter
105	105	schools as provided by Section 42.260, Education Code.
106	106	(b) The state shall assist employees of participating
107	107	regional education service centers and educational districts
108	108	described by Section 1579.002(5)(B) in the purchase of group health
109	109	coverage under this chapter by providing to the employing service
110	110	center or educational district, for each covered employee, the
111	111	amount of $2,100 [$900] each state fiscal year or a greater amount
112	112	as provided by the General Appropriations Act.
113	113	SECTION 7. (a) In addition to other amounts appropriated to
114	114	the Teacher Retirement System of Texas for the state fiscal
115	115	biennium beginning September 1, 2019, the amount of $1.57 billion
116	116	is appropriated from the economic stabilization fund to the Teacher
117	117	Retirement System of Texas for the state fiscal biennium ending
118	118	August 31, 2021, and may be used by the retirement system during
119	119	that state fiscal biennium to increase school districts'
120	120	recruitment and retention of school teachers and provide support to
121	121	participants in the Texas Public School Employees Group Insurance
122	122	Program authorized by Chapter 1575, Insurance Code.
123	123	(b) The Teacher Retirement System of Texas may use the money
124	124	transferred under Subsection (a) of this section to:
125	125	(1) decrease the premiums and deductibles that would
126	126	otherwise be paid during the 2020 and 2021 plan years by
127	127	participants in the Texas Public School Employees Group Insurance
128	128	Program authorized by Chapter 1575, Insurance Code; and
129	129	(2) reduce costs for an enrolled adult child with a
130	130	mental disability or a physical incapacity during the 2020 and 2021
131	131	plan years.
132	132	(c) The Teacher Retirement System of Texas shall determine
133	133	the most efficient allocation of the money transferred under
134	134	Subsection (a) of this section to achieve the maximum benefit for
135	135	participants in the program.
136	136	(d) This section takes effect only if this Act is approved
137	137	by a vote of two-thirds of the members present in each house of the
138	138	legislature, as provided by Section 49-g(m), Article III, Texas
139	139	Constitution.
140	140	SECTION 8. Section 21.402(c-1), Education Code, is
141	141	repealed.
142	142	SECTION 9. This Act applies beginning with the 2019-2020
143	143	school year.
144	144	SECTION 10. Except as otherwise provided by this Act, this
145	145	Act takes effect September 1, 2019.