Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HB5314 Compare Versions

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Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R11203 MLH-D
2	2	By: Patterson H.B. No. 5314
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to the establishment and duties of the Legislative Youth
10	10	Advisory Council.
11	11	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12	SECTION 1. Subtitle C, Title 3, Government Code, is amended
13	13	by adding Chapter 330 to read as follows:
14	14	CHAPTER 330. LEGISLATIVE YOUTH ADVISORY COUNCIL
15	15	Sec. 330.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter:
16	16	(1) "Council" means the Legislative Youth Advisory
17	17	Council.
18	18	(2) "Legislative member" means a member of the council
19	19	described by Section 330.003(a)(1) or (2).
20	20	(3) "Youth member" means a member of the council
21	21	described by Section 330.003(a)(3).
22	22	Sec. 330.002. ESTABLISHMENT. The Legislative Youth
23	23	Advisory Council is established as an advisory council of the
24	24	legislative branch of government.
25	25	Sec. 330.003. MEMBERSHIP. (a) The council consists of:
26	26	(1) one member of the house of representatives
27	27	appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives;
28	28	(2) one member of the senate appointed by the
29	29	lieutenant governor; and
30	30	(3) 31 youth members appointed in the manner
31	31	prescribed by Section 330.005.
32	32	(b) The speaker of the house of representatives when making
33	33	an appointment under Subsection (a)(1) shall give preference to a
34	34	member of the house who has expressed interest in the council.
35	35	(c) The lieutenant governor when making an appointment
36	36	under Subsection (a)(2) shall give preference to a senator who has
37	37	expressed interest in the council.
38	38	(d) Service on the council by a legislative member is an
39	39	additional duty of the member's legislative office.
40	40	Sec. 330.004. QUALIFICATIONS OF YOUTH MEMBER. A person is
41	41	eligible to be appointed as a youth member only if the person is:
42	42	(1) at least 14 years of age;
43	43	(2) not older than 19 years of age;
44	44	(3) a high school student who is:
45	45	(A) enrolled in a public school, charter school,
46	46	or private school;
47	47	(B) homeschooled; or
48	48	(C) enrolled in a program that leads to a high
49	49	school equivalency certificate; and
50	50	(4) a permanent resident of the United States who is:
51	51	(A) a permanent resident of this state; or
52	52	(B) attending a boarding school located in this
53	53	state during the school year in which the person will serve on the
54	54	council.
55	55	Sec. 330.005. APPLICATION; APPOINTMENT OF YOUTH MEMBER.
56	56	(a) An applicant seeking a position on the council as a youth
57	57	member shall submit an application to the applicant's state
58	58	representative not later than August 1 of the year before the year
59	59	in which the applicant's term on the council would begin.
60	60	(b) The application must include:
61	61	(1) the applicant's name, age, and contact
62	62	information;
63	63	(2) the applicant's current level of education;
64	64	(3) the applicant's extracurricular, leadership, and
65	65	volunteer activities;
66	66	(4) a brief essay on why the applicant seeks to serve
67	67	on the council; and
68	68	(5) not more than two letters of recommendation.
69	69	(c) Each state representative who receives an application
70	70	under this section shall recommend for appointment to the council
71	71	one or more applicants. The representative must make the
72	72	recommendation to the state senator in whose district the applicant
73	73	resides not later than September 1 of the year before the year in
74	74	which the applicant's term on the council would begin.
75	75	(d) Each state senator who receives a recommendation under
76	76	this section shall appoint one recommended applicant to the
77	77	council. The senator must make the appointment not later than
78	78	October 1 of the year before the year in which the applicant's term
79	79	on the council would begin.
80	80	(e) An application submitted under this section is
81	81	confidential and not subject to disclosure under Chapter 552.
82	82	Sec. 330.006. TERMS. (a) A legislative member serves a
83	83	term that begins with the convening of a regular session of the
84	84	legislature and ends with the convening of the following regular
85	85	session of the legislature.
86	86	(b) A youth member serves a term that begins with the
87	87	convening of the first regular session of the legislature following
88	88	the youth member's appointment and ends on July 1 of that same year.
89	89	A youth member may not serve more than two terms on the council.
90	90	Sec. 330.007. REMOVAL. The legislative members may jointly
91	91	remove a youth member for neglect of duty as a member or on another
92	92	ground the legislative members determine requires removal of the
93	93	youth member.
94	94	Sec. 330.008. VACANCY. A vacancy in a position on the
95	95	council shall be filled for the unexpired term in the manner
96	96	provided for the initial appointment of the member vacating the
97	97	council.
98	98	Sec. 330.009. OFFICERS. (a) The legislative members serve
99	99	as co-chairs of the council.
100	100	(b) At the first meeting of the council after the convening
101	101	of the regular session of the legislature, the council shall elect
102	102	youth officers, including a youth chair, a secretary, and a
103	103	parliamentarian.
104	104	Sec. 330.010. MEETINGS. (a) The council shall meet at the
105	105	call of the legislative members to perform the duties of the
106	106	council. Council meetings may be held remotely.
107	107	(b) The council may not hold a meeting during a time of day
108	108	that any youth member is required to be in attendance at school.
109	109	(c) A school district shall excuse a youth member from
110	110	attending school on a day that the member performs a duty of the
111	111	council if:
112	112	(1) the legislative members write a letter addressed
113	113	to the school district stating that the youth member was performing
114	114	the duty on that day, including testifying before a legislative
115	115	committee; and
116	116	(2) the youth member submits the letter to the school
117	117	district.
118	118	Sec. 330.011. SUBCOMMITTEES. (a) The council shall create
119	119	a subcommittee on education to study and discuss topics relating to
120	120	youth education.
121	121	(b) The council may create additional subcommittees to
122	122	study and discuss issues relevant to the work of the council.
123	123	(c) A subcommittee may not consist of more than 20 members
124	124	of the council.
125	125	(d) The council shall elect a chair to lead each
126	126	subcommittee created by the council.
127	127	Sec. 330.012. COMPENSATION. A member of the council serves
128	128	without compensation.
129	129	Sec. 330.013. ASSISTANCE. The legislative staff and
130	130	offices of the legislative members may provide administrative
131	131	assistance to the council.
132	132	Sec. 330.014. RULES, PROCEDURES, AND FORMS. The council
133	133	may adopt rules, procedures, and forms as needed to administer this
134	134	chapter and perform the council's duties under this chapter.
135	135	Sec. 330.015. DUTIES. The council shall:
136	136	(1) study and discuss issues of importance to youth,
137	137	such as education, employment, civic engagement, substance abuse,
138	138	nutrition, emotional and physical health, foster care, poverty,
139	139	homelessness, and youth access to state and local services;
140	140	(2) advise members and committees of the legislature
141	141	on issues affecting or of importance to youth, including advice on
142	142	the impact of proposed legislation, appropriations, and other
143	143	policy determinations;
144	144	(3) communicate with state agencies and other entities
145	145	on issues of importance to youth; and
146	146	(4) submit a report to the legislature as required by
147	147	Section 330.017.
148	148	Sec. 330.016. STATE CAPITOL DAY. (a) Not later than
149	149	January 30 of each odd-numbered year, the legislative members shall
150	150	host a State Capitol day for the youth members.
151	151	(b) The legislative members shall:
152	152	(1) lead youth members of the council on a tour of the
153	153	State Capitol; and
154	154	(2) provide or have provided instruction to the youth
155	155	members on the legislative process and parliamentary procedure.
156	156	Sec. 330.017. REPORT. Not later than July 1 of each
157	157	odd-numbered year, the council shall submit a written report to the
158	158	members of the legislature that:
159	159	(1) details the activities of the council since the
160	160	last report was made under this section; and
161	161	(2) makes recommendations for legislation based on the
162	162	council's deliberations.
163	163	SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
164	164	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
165	165	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
166	166	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
167	167	Act takes effect September 1, 2025.