BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 455

By: Allen

Public Education

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

It has been noted that childhood obesity is an increasingly pervasive problem across Texas. Considering the amount of time children spend in school during the first years of their lives, schools may be an ideal setting to promote health and foster physical activity to counter the issue of childhood obesity. H.B. 455 seeks to address this problem by setting out provisions relating to Texas Education Agency-developed model recess policies and the implementation of such policies and recommendations from the local health advisory council at the campus level.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

H.B. 455 amends the Education Code to require the Texas Education Agency, not later than January 1, 2020, to develop model policies on the recess period during the school day that encourage constructive, age-appropriate outdoor playtime. The bill requires those model policies to include guidelines for outdoor equipment and facilities on public school campuses that maximize the effectiveness of outdoor physical activity. The bill requires the board of trustees of each public school district, after reviewing the model policies and the policy recommendations of the applicable local school health advisory council and not later than May 1, 2020, to adopt a recess policy based on those model policies and recommendations and to review and, if necessary, revise the recess policy at least every five years. The bill requires the district recess policy to specify the required number of minutes of weekly unstructured playtime and whether a student's recess time may be withheld as a form of student discipline. The bill requires each district campus subject to the district recess policy, not later than the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year, to implement the recess policy.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2019.