| 1 | | - | By: González of El Paso, et al. H.B. No. 129 |
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| 2 | | - | (Senate Sponsor - Zaffirini) |
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| 3 | | - | (In the Senate - Received from the House April 21, 2021; |
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| 4 | | - | May 10, 2021, read first time and referred to Committee on |
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| 5 | | - | Education; May 24, 2021, reported adversely, with favorable |
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| 6 | | - | Committee Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 6, Nays 3; |
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| 7 | | - | May 24, 2021, sent to printer.) |
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| 8 | | - | Click here to see the committee vote |
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| 9 | | - | COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR H.B. No. 129 By: Menéndez |
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| 1 | + | By: González of El Paso, Leach, Moody, H.B. No. 129 |
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| 2 | + | Capriglione |
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| 10 | 3 | | |
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| 11 | 4 | | |
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| 12 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 13 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 14 | 7 | | relating to digital citizenship instruction in public schools. |
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| 15 | 8 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 16 | 9 | | SECTION 1. Section 28.002(z), Education Code, is amended to |
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| 17 | 10 | | read as follows: |
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| 18 | 11 | | (z) The State Board of Education by rule shall require each |
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| 19 | 12 | | school district to incorporate instruction in digital citizenship |
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| 20 | 13 | | into the district's curriculum, including information regarding |
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| 21 | 14 | | the potential criminal consequences of cyberbullying, and require |
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| 22 | 15 | | students enrolled in grade level six to complete instruction in |
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| 23 | 16 | | digital citizenship as part of the district's social studies |
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| 24 | 17 | | curriculum. In this subsection: |
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| 25 | 18 | | (1) "Cyberbullying" has the meaning assigned by |
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| 26 | 19 | | Section 37.0832. |
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| 27 | 20 | | (2) "Digital citizenship" means the standards of |
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| 28 | 21 | | appropriate, responsible, and healthy online behavior, including: |
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| 29 | 22 | | (A) the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, |
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| 30 | 23 | | create, and act on all forms of digital communication; |
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| 31 | 24 | | (B) digital ethics, etiquette, respectful |
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| 32 | 25 | | discourse with people who have differing opinions, safety, |
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| 33 | 26 | | security, digital footprint, and the identification of rhetoric |
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| 35 | 29 | | (C) cyberbullying prevention and response; and |
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| 36 | 30 | | (D) the importance of the right to freedom of |
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| 37 | 31 | | speech contained in the Bill of Rights of the Constitution of the |
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| 38 | 32 | | United States, including: |
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| 39 | 33 | | (i) the central role that the right to |
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| 40 | 34 | | freedom of speech has in the history of the United States; and |
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| 41 | 35 | | (ii) the applicability of protections for |
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| 42 | 36 | | freedom of speech for online interaction. |
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| 43 | 37 | | SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with the 2021-2022 |
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| 44 | 38 | | school year. |
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| 45 | 39 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 46 | 40 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 47 | 41 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 48 | 42 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 49 | 43 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
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