Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1969 Compare Versions

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

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1	1	By: Nelson S.B. No. 1969
2	2
3	3
4	4	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
5	5	AN ACT
6	6	relating to state fiscal matters related to public education.
7	7	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
8	8	ARTICLE 1. REDUCTION OF EXPENDITURES AND IMPOSITION OF FEES OR
9	9	CHARGES GENERALLY
10	10	SECTION 1.01. This article applies to the Texas Education
11	11	Agency, the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, the
12	12	Texas School for the Deaf, and the Teacher Retirement System of
13	13	Texas.
14	14	SECTION 1.02. Notwithstanding any other statute of this
15	15	state, each entity to which this article applies is authorized to
16	16	reduce or recover expenditures by:
17	17	(1) consolidating any reports or publications the
18	18	entity is required to make and filing or delivering any of those
19	19	reports or publications exclusively by electronic means;
20	20	(2) extending the effective period of any license,
21	21	permit, or registration the entity grants or administers;
22	22	(3) entering into a contract with another governmental
23	23	entity or with a private vendor to carry out any of the entity's
24	24	duties;
25	25	(4) modifying the services provided to and the
26	26	eligibility requirements, including the procedures to determine
27	27	eligibility, for persons who receive benefits under any federal or
28	28	state law the entity administers to ensure that those benefits are
29	29	received by the most deserving persons consistent with the purposes
30	30	for which the benefits are provided;
31	31	(5) providing that any communication between the
32	32	entity and another person and any document required to be delivered
33	33	to or by the entity, including any application, notice, billing
34	34	statement, receipt, or certificate, may be made or delivered by
35	35	e-mail or through the Internet; and
36	36	(6) adopting and collecting fees or charges to cover
37	37	any costs the entity incurs in performing its lawful functions.
38	38	ARTICLE 2. REDUCTION IN GENERAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT
39	39	SECTION 2.01. An employee of an entity described by Section
40	40	1.01 of this Act is not entitled to an amount from the state for
41	41	expenses, including office expenses or reimbursement of office
42	42	expenses, per diem, travel, or a salary or salary supplement that
43	43	exceeds the amount authorized for those purposes by the General
44	44	Appropriations Act.
45	45	ARTICLE 3. FISCAL MATTERS RELATED TO PUBLIC EDUCATION
46	46	SECTION 3.01. Section 21.4021(a), Education Code, is
47	47	amended to read as follows:
48	48	(a) Notwithstanding Section 21.401 and subject to Section
49	49	21.4022, the board of trustees of a school district may, in
50	50	accordance with district policy, implement a furlough program and
51	51	reduce the number of days of service otherwise required under
52	52	Section 21.401 by not more than seven [six] days of service during a
53	53	school year if the commissioner certifies in accordance with
54	54	Section 48.010 that the district will be provided with less state
55	55	and local funding for that year than was provided to the district
56	56	for the 2020-2021 [2010-2011] school year.
57	57	SECTION 3.02. Section 25.112(a), Education Code, is amended
58	58	to read as follows:
59	59	(a) Except as otherwise authorized by this section, a school
60	60	district may not enroll more than 22 students in [a] kindergarten,
61	61	first, second, third, and [or] fourth grade classes [class]. That
62	62	limitation does not apply during:
63	63	(1) any 12-week period of the school year selected by
64	64	the district, in the case of a district whose average daily
65	65	attendance is adjusted under Section 48.005(c); or
66	66	(2) the last 12 weeks of any school year in the case of
67	67	any other district.
68	68	SECTION 3.03. Section 48.010, Education Code, is amended to
69	69	read as follows:
70	70	Sec. 48.010. DETERMINATION OF FUNDING LEVELS. (a) Not
71	71	later than July 1 of each year, the commissioner shall determine for
72	72	each school district whether the estimated amount of state and
73	73	local funding per student in weighted average daily attendance to
74	74	be provided to the district under the Foundation School Program for
75	75	maintenance and operations for the following school year is less
76	76	than the amount provided to the district for the 2020-2021
77	77	[2010-2011] school year. If the amount estimated to be provided is
78	78	less, the commissioner shall certify the percentage decrease in
79	79	funding to be provided to the district.
80	80	(b) In making the determinations regarding funding levels
81	81	required by Subsection (a), the commissioner shall:
82	82	(1) make adjustments as necessary to reflect changes
83	83	in a school district's maintenance and operations tax rate;
84	84	(2) for a district required to reduce its local
85	85	revenue level under Section 48.257, base the determinations on the
86	86	district's net funding levels after deducting any amounts required
87	87	to be expended by the district to comply with Chapter 49; and
88	88	(3) determine a district's weighted average daily
89	89	attendance in accordance with this chapter as it existed on January
90	90	1, 2021 [2011].
91	91	SECTION 3.04. Section 21.402(c-1), Education Code, is
92	92	repealed.
93	93	SECTION 3.05. This article applies beginning with the
94	94	2021-2022 school year.
95	95	ARTICLE 4. FISCAL MATTERS CONCERNING RETIRED TEACHERS
96	96	SECTION 4.01. Section 825.404(b), Government Code, is
97	97	amended to read as follows:
98	98	(b) Before November 15 [2] of each even-numbered year, the
99	99	board of trustees, in coordination with the Legislative Budget
100	100	Board, shall certify to the comptroller of public accounts for
101	101	review and adoption an estimate of the amount necessary to pay the
102	102	state's contributions to the retirement system for the following
103	103	biennium. For qualifying employees under Subsection (a-1)(1), the
104	104	board of trustees shall include only the amount payable by the state
105	105	under Subsection (a-1)(1) in determining the amount to be
106	106	certified.
107	107	SECTION 4.02. Section 1575.202(a), Insurance Code, is
108	108	amended to read as follows:
109	109	(a) Each state fiscal year, the state shall contribute to
110	110	the fund an amount equal to 1.23 [1.25] percent of the salary of
111	111	each active employee.
112	112	SECTION 4.03. The changes in law made by this article apply
113	113	beginning with the state fiscal year that begins September 1, 2021.
114	114	ARTICLE 5. FISCAL MATTERS CONCERNING ADVANCED PLACEMENT
115	115	SECTION 5.01. (a) Section 28.053(i), Education Code, is
116	116	amended to read as follows:
117	117	(i) The commissioner shall analyze and adjust, as needed,
118	118	the sum of and number of awards to ensure that the purpose of the
119	119	program is realized and to account for any budgetary constraints.
120	120	(b) This section applies beginning with the 2021-2022
121	121	school year.
122	122	ARTICLE 6. EFFECTIVE DATE
123	123	SECTION 6.01. This Act takes effect immediately if it
124	124	receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each
125	125	house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.
126	126	If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate
127	127	effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2021.