| 1 | 1 | | 89R265 MEW-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Schofield H.B. No. 4983 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | |
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| 6 | 6 | | |
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| 7 | 7 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 8 | 8 | | AN ACT |
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| 9 | 9 | | relating to an elective course on firearms safety for public high |
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| 10 | 10 | | school students and a virtual course on firearms safety for the |
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| 11 | 11 | | public. |
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| 12 | 12 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 13 | 13 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 28, Education Code, is |
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| 14 | 14 | | amended by adding Section 28.0121 to read as follows: |
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| 15 | 15 | | Sec. 28.0121. FIREARMS SAFETY ELECTIVE COURSE. (a) A |
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| 16 | 16 | | school district or open-enrollment charter school that offers a |
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| 17 | 17 | | high school program may offer to students in high school an elective |
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| 18 | 18 | | course on firearms safety based on the curriculum guidelines |
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| 19 | 19 | | developed under Subsection (c). The course must meet the |
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| 20 | 20 | | requirements for a one-half elective credit under Section 28.025. |
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| 21 | 21 | | (b) A school district or open-enrollment charter school may |
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| 22 | 22 | | not allow a student to enroll in an elective course offered by the |
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| 23 | 23 | | district or school under Subsection (a) unless the district or |
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| 24 | 24 | | school first obtains the written consent of the parent or person |
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| 25 | 25 | | standing in parental relation to the student. |
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| 26 | 26 | | (c) The State Board of Education shall develop curriculum |
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| 27 | 27 | | guidelines for the elective course on firearms safety. The |
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| 28 | 28 | | curriculum guidelines must: |
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| 29 | 29 | | (1) focus on accident prevention; |
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| 30 | 30 | | (2) promote the safety and protection of students; |
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| 31 | 31 | | (3) emphasize how students should respond when |
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| 32 | 32 | | encountering a firearm; and |
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| 33 | 33 | | (4) include the information contained in the firearms |
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| 34 | 34 | | safety portion of a hunter education course under Section 62.014, |
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| 35 | 35 | | Parks and Wildlife Code. |
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| 36 | 36 | | (d) The State Board of Education shall develop a virtual |
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| 37 | 37 | | course on firearms safety that meets the requirements of an |
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| 38 | 38 | | elective course under Subsection (a) for a school district or |
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| 39 | 39 | | open-enrollment charter school to offer to high school students. |
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| 40 | 40 | | (e) The State Board of Education shall make the virtual |
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| 41 | 41 | | course on firearms safety developed under Subsection (d) available |
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| 42 | 42 | | to: |
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| 43 | 43 | | (1) the agency; |
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| 44 | 44 | | (2) the Parks and Wildlife Department; and |
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| 45 | 45 | | (3) the Department of Public Safety. |
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| 46 | 46 | | (f) Each entity described by Subsection (e) shall make the |
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| 47 | 47 | | virtual course on firearms safety available to the public free of |
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| 48 | 48 | | charge through the entity's Internet website. |
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| 49 | 49 | | SECTION 2. As soon as practicable after the effective date |
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| 50 | 50 | | of this Act, the State Board of Education shall develop: |
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| 51 | 51 | | (1) the curriculum guidelines required under Section |
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| 52 | 52 | | 28.0121(c), Education Code, as added by this Act; and |
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| 53 | 53 | | (2) the virtual course on firearms safety required |
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| 54 | 54 | | under Section 28.0121(d), Education Code, as added by this Act. |
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| 55 | 55 | | SECTION 3. This Act applies beginning with the 2025-2026 |
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| 56 | 56 | | school year. |
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| 57 | 57 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 58 | 58 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 59 | 59 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 60 | 60 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 61 | 61 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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