| 1 | 1 | | By: Hickland H.B. No. 1313 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | |
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| 6 | 6 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 7 | 7 | | AN ACT |
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| 8 | 8 | | relating to the use by a school district or a school district |
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| 9 | 9 | | employee of public funds for lobbying activities. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Chapter 556, Government Code, is amended by |
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| 12 | 12 | | adding Section 556.0056 to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | Sec. 556.0056. RESTRICTION ON USE OF PUBLIC FUNDS BY SCHOOL |
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| 14 | 14 | | DISTRICTS AND SCHOOL DISTRICT EMPLOYEES FOR LOBBYING ACTIVITIES. |
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| 15 | 15 | | (a) In this section, "communicates directly with" and "member of |
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| 16 | 16 | | the legislative branch" have the meanings assigned by Section |
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| 17 | 17 | | 305.002. |
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| 18 | 18 | | (b) A school district may not spend public funds: |
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| 19 | 19 | | (1) to hire an individual required to register as a |
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| 20 | 20 | | lobbyist under Chapter 305 for the purpose of lobbying a member of |
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| 21 | 21 | | the legislative branch; or |
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| 22 | 22 | | (2) to pay a nonprofit state association or |
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| 23 | 23 | | organization that: |
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| 24 | 24 | | (A) primarily represents political subdivisions; |
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| 25 | 25 | | and |
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| 26 | 26 | | (B) hires or contracts with an individual |
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| 27 | 27 | | required to register as a lobbyist under Chapter 305. |
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| 28 | 28 | | (c) A school district employee may not use public funds or |
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| 29 | 29 | | other district resources to communicate directly with a member of |
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| 30 | 30 | | the legislative branch or an employee of a member of the legislative |
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| 31 | 31 | | branch to influence legislation. |
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| 32 | 32 | | (d) If a school district or a school district employee |
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| 33 | 33 | | engages in an activity prohibited by Subsection (b) or (c), a |
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| 34 | 34 | | taxpayer or resident of the school district is entitled to |
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| 35 | 35 | | appropriate injunctive relief to prevent further activity |
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| 36 | 36 | | prohibited by those subsections and further use or expenditure of |
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| 37 | 37 | | public funds related to those activities. |
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| 38 | 38 | | (e) A taxpayer or resident who prevails in an action under |
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| 39 | 39 | | Subsection (d) is entitled to recover from the school district the |
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| 40 | 40 | | taxpayer's or resident's reasonable attorney's fees and costs |
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| 41 | 41 | | incurred in bringing the action. |
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| 42 | 42 | | SECTION 2. Section 556.0056, Government Code, as added by |
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| 43 | 43 | | this Act, applies only to the use or expenditure of public funds by |
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| 44 | 44 | | a school district or a school district employee that is made on or |
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| 45 | 45 | | after the effective date of this Act, including the use or |
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| 46 | 46 | | expenditure of public funds that is made under a contract entered |
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| 47 | 47 | | into on or after the effective date of this Act. |
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| 48 | 48 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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