In the 88th Legislature, our union’s top priority is to fight for the additional resources our schools need to keep our students and school employees safe, healthy, and thriving.
And that means, first and foremost, we’re focused on advocating for bills that give educators and school employees the respect they deserve.
Bills to Watch in the 88th Legislature
More than 1,300 bills have been filed already by Texas legislators for the upcoming session starting Jan. 10. Among them are bills that align with our Respect Agenda and could be hugely important to educators and students:
- Salaries
- Working conditions & classroom policy
- Schedules & work year
- Retirement
- School funding
- School safety
- Staff retention
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Respect for Our Paychecks
| Bill No. | Filed by | What It Does | Status | Take Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| House Bill 991 | Rep. Terry Meza (D-Irving) | Establishes a minimum wage for school bus drivers of $15 per hour or matching the federal minimum wage if higher. | Introduced |
Respect for Our Classrooms
| Bill No. | Filed by | What It Does | Status | Take Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| House Bill 97 | Rep. Diego Bernal (D-San Antonio) | Walks back some of the censorship rules placed on teachers and students during the last legislative session | Introduced |
Respect for Our Schedules
| Bill No. | Filed by | What It Does | Status | Take Action |
|---|
Respect for Our Retirement
| Bill No. | Filed by | What It Does | Status | Take Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senate Bill 109 & House Bill 332 | Sen. Jose Menéndez (D-San Antonio) & Rep. Terry Canales (D-Edinburg) | Provides Teacher Retirement System retirees with a one-time cost-of-living adjustment. | Introduced |
Well-Funded Public Schools
| Bill No. | Filed by | What It Does | Status | Take Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| House Bill 882 | Rep. Donna Howard (D-Austin) | Increases the basic allotment (state funding for schools) in relation to the Consumer Price Index (inflation). | Introduced | |
| House Bill 31 / House Bill 135 | Rep. Gina Hinojosa (D-Austin) / Rep. Diego Bernal (D-San Antonio) | Requires that public schools be funded based on enrollment, instead of attendance. | Introduced |
Safe Public Schools
| Bill No. | Filed by | What It Does | Status | Take Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| House Bill 1139 | Rep. Shawn Thierry (D-Houston) | Requires school districts to employ one full-time registered nurse at each campus and maintain an average nurse-to-student ratio of 1-to-750. | Introduced | |
| Senate Bill 193 / House Bill 1061 | Sen. Borris Miles (D-Houston) & Rep. Bobby Guerra (D-McAllen) | Requires schools to notify parents and guardians if a campus lacks a full-time nurse. | Introduced | |
| Senate Bill 205 | Sen. Sarah Eckhardt (D-Austin) | Repeals campus carry requirements for state higher education institutions | Introduced |
Fully Staffed Public Schools
| Bill No. | Filed by | What It Does | Status | Take Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senate Bill 89 | Sen. Nathan Johnson (D-Dallas) | Makes the children of public school educators eligible for the state’s free pre-Kindergarten program. | Introduced |