Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1889 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R15002 MPF-F
2	2	By: Schwertner S.B. No. 1889
3	3
4	4
5	5
6	6
7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to vision screenings for students in public or private
10	10	school, including vision screening information reporting for
11	11	public school students and the creation of a matching grant program
12	12	for visual devices for certain students.
13	13	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
14	14	SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 38, Education Code, is
15	15	amended by adding Sections 38.035 and 38.0351 to read as follows:
16	16	Sec. 38.035. VISION SCREENING REPORTING. (a) Not later
17	17	than May 31 of each year, the agency shall post on the agency's
18	18	Internet website a report regarding the number of students in each
19	19	school district identified as having a vision disorder or other
20	20	vision problem under the screening program described by Section
21	21	36.004, Health and Safety Code, disaggregated by:
22	22	(1) grade level;
23	23	(2) campus;
24	24	(3) gender;
25	25	(4) race;
26	26	(5) ethnicity;
27	27	(6) whether the student is educationally
28	28	disadvantaged; and
29	29	(7) the number of times the student was previously
30	30	identified as having a vision disorder or other vision problem.
31	31	(b) The commissioner by rule shall require each school
32	32	district to report through the Public Education Information
33	33	Management System (PEIMS) information necessary for the agency to
34	34	prepare the report required by this section.
35	35	Sec. 38.0351. MATCHING GRANT PROGRAM TO PROVIDE VISUAL
36	36	DEVICES FOR CERTAIN STUDENTS. (a) In this section, "eligible
37	37	student" means a student who:
38	38	(1) has been identified as having a vision disorder or
39	39	other vision problem under the screening program described by
40	40	Section 36.004, Health and Safety Code;
41	41	(2) is educationally disadvantaged; and
42	42	(3) is not covered by a health benefit plan that
43	43	provides vision care benefits.
44	44	(b) The agency shall establish and administer a matching
45	45	grant program to award to school districts grants to cover the costs
46	46	of providing to eligible students visual devices, including glasses
47	47	or contact lenses, by directly paying for or reimbursing an
48	48	eligible student's parent for the cost of a visual device.
49	49	(c) The agency shall develop eligibility and selection
50	50	criteria for grant applicants, including the amount of matching
51	51	money a grant applicant must provide for a grant award under this
52	52	section. The matching money may not be from state money.
53	53	(d) The commissioner shall adopt rules as necessary to
54	54	administer the matching grant program established under this
55	55	section.
56	56	(e) The agency may award a grant under this section only in
57	57	accordance with a contract between the agency and grant recipient.
58	58	The contract must include provisions under which the agency is
59	59	granted sufficient control to ensure the public purpose of
60	60	providing visual devices to eligible students is accomplished and
61	61	this state receives the return benefit.
62	62	SECTION 2. Section 36.004(b-1), Health and Safety Code, is
63	63	amended to read as follows:
64	64	(b-1) The rules must allow an individual who attends a
65	65	public or private school to be screened:
66	66	(1) using photoscreening to detect vision disorders;
67	67	[and]
68	68	(2) using an electronic eye chart as a substitute for a
69	69	printed eye chart to assess visual acuity; and
70	70	(3) using visual screening techniques to detect depth
71	71	perception issues and color blindness.
72	72	SECTION 3. Section 36.006, Health and Safety Code, is
73	73	amended by adding Subsections (a-1) and (a-2) to read as follows:
74	74	(a-1) The form prescribed by the department under
75	75	Subsection (a) must include:
76	76	(1) separate spaces for the student's first and last
77	77	name;
78	78	(2) a space for the preschool's or school's name;
79	79	(3) a space for the student's grade level;
80	80	(4) information for a student's parent regarding
81	81	available resources for low-cost vision care; and
82	82	(5) information for a student's parent regarding the
83	83	student's potential eligibility to receive benefits under Medicaid
84	84	and the process for applying for those benefits.
85	85	(a-2) The department shall biennially update the form
86	86	information required under Subsection (a-1)(4).
87	87	SECTION 4. (a) As soon as practicable after the effective
88	88	date of this Act, the commissioner of education shall adopt rules
89	89	necessary to implement Sections 38.035 and 38.0351, Education Code,
90	90	as added by this Act.
91	91	(b) The executive commissioner of the Health and Human
92	92	Services Commission shall, as soon as practicable after the
93	93	effective date of this Act, adopt rules necessary to implement the
94	94	changes in law made by this Act to Chapter 36, Health and Safety
95	95	Code.
96	96	SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.