| 1 | 1 | | By: Parker, et al. S.B. No. 1556 |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | AN ACT |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | relating to the right of a public school employee to engage in |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | religious speech or prayer while on duty. |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 22, Education Code, is |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | amended by adding Section 22.012 to read as follows: |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | Sec. 22.012. RELIGIOUS SPEECH OR PRAYER. The right of an |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | employee of a school district or open-enrollment charter school to |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | engage in religious speech or prayer while on duty may not be |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | infringed on by the district or school or another state |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | governmental entity, unless the infringement is: |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | (1) necessary to further a compelling state interest; |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | and |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | (2) narrowly tailored using the least restrictive |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | means to achieve that compelling state interest. |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
|---|