Texas 2023 - 88th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1154 Compare Versions

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1	1	88R8781 PRL-D
2	2	By: Hughes S.B. No. 1154
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the establishment by regional education service centers
8	8	of regional school district health coverage advisory committees.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. Chapter 8, Education Code, is amended by adding
11	11	Subchapter F to read as follows:
12	12	SUBCHAPTER F. REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT HEALTH COVERAGE ADVISORY
13	13	COMMITTEES
14	14	Sec. 8.201. DEFINITION. In this subchapter, "advisory
15	15	committee" means a regional school district health coverage
16	16	advisory committee established under this subchapter.
17	17	Sec. 8.202. ESTABLISHMENT. The executive director of each
18	18	regional education service center shall establish a regional school
19	19	district health coverage advisory committee to study health
20	20	coverage options available to employees of school districts served
21	21	by that service center.
22	22	Sec. 8.203. COMPOSITION. An advisory committee is composed
23	23	of nine members appointed by the executive director of each
24	24	regional education service center as follows:
25	25	(1) three members who are superintendents employed by
26	26	a school district served by the center;
27	27	(2) three members who are classroom teachers employed
28	28	by a school district served by the center; and
29	29	(3) three members who are parents of students
30	30	attending schools in school districts served by the center.
31	31	Sec. 8.204. TERM OF OFFICE; REAPPOINTMENT. (a) Members of
32	32	an advisory committee serve staggered two-year terms, with the
33	33	terms of four members expiring January 1 of each even-numbered year
34	34	and the terms of five members expiring January 1 of each
35	35	odd-numbered year.
36	36	(b) A person appointed to an advisory committee may be
37	37	reappointed to that committee.
38	38	Sec. 8.205. REMOVAL FOR CAUSE. An advisory committee
39	39	member may be removed for cause by a majority vote of the remaining
40	40	members of the committee.
41	41	Sec. 8.206. VACANCY. The executive director of a regional
42	42	education service center shall fill a vacancy on an advisory
43	43	committee not later than two months after the date the vacancy
44	44	occurs.
45	45	Sec. 8.207. STUDY. An advisory committee shall annually
46	46	conduct a study of health coverage options available to employees
47	47	of school districts served by the committee's regional education
48	48	service center. The study must include, with respect to school
49	49	districts in that committee's region, an assessment of health
50	50	coverage plans, including cooperative health care programs, that
51	51	are available on the open market or through self-funding of school
52	52	district health care expenses, including for each plan:
53	53	(1) the amount that would be paid by a district and
54	54	district employees for premium under the plan;
55	55	(2) the schedule of benefits available under the plan;
56	56	and
57	57	(3) whether, in obtaining the plan, some or all of the
58	58	districts in the region should jointly seek health coverage under
59	59	that plan as a group.
60	60	Sec. 8.208. REPORT. (a) Not later than September 15 of
61	61	each year, an advisory committee shall submit to the executive
62	62	director of the committee's regional education service center a
63	63	written report detailing the committee's findings from the study
64	64	conducted under Section 8.207. The report must include:
65	65	(1) recommendations regarding the best available
66	66	health care plans; and
67	67	(2) an assessment of the costs and services associated
68	68	with each available plan.
69	69	(b) Not later than October 15 of each year, the executive
70	70	director of each regional education service center shall provide
71	71	each board of trustees and superintendent of a school district
72	72	served by the center the report submitted under Subsection (a) in an
73	73	electronic format. If an advisory committee report recommends
74	74	entering into a cooperative health purchasing arrangement, the
75	75	executive director of that regional education service center shall
76	76	include in the report provided under this subsection information
77	77	regarding methods by which the center could enter into the
78	78	cooperative health purchasing arrangement.
79	79	(c) The executive director of each regional education
80	80	service center shall schedule at least one in-person meeting with
81	81	the superintendents of school districts served by the center to
82	82	discuss the findings and recommendations included in an advisory
83	83	committee report provided under this section.
84	84	SECTION 2. (a) Not later than January 1, 2024, each
85	85	executive director of a regional education service center shall
86	86	appoint the members of the center's regional school district health
87	87	coverage advisory committee, as required by Section 8.203,
88	88	Education Code, as added by this Act.
89	89	(b) Notwithstanding Section 8.204, Education Code, as added
90	90	by this Act, in making the initial appointments under Subsection
91	91	(a), the executive director of a regional education service center
92	92	shall designate four members appointed to the center's regional
93	93	school district health coverage advisory committee to serve terms
94	94	expiring January 1, 2026, and five members to serve terms expiring
95	95	January 1, 2025.
96	96	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
97	97	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
98	98	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
99	99	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
100	100	Act takes effect September 1, 2023.