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House Bill 1342 |
House Author: Parker et al. |
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Effective: Vetoed |
Senate Sponsor: Hughes |
House Bill 1342 amends the Education Code to require a school district's child abuse antivictimization program to include certain annual sexual abuse prevention training and establishes district and Texas Education Agency duties relating to such training.
Governor's Reason for Veto: "I have signed Senate Bill 2039, which directs the Texas Education Agency to develop an optional curriculum regarding sexual abuse prevention for use by school districts. While both Senate Bill 2039 and House Bill 1342 seek to achieve a good purpose, Senate Bill 2039 does so in a more suitable way. By recognizing both the importance of this topic and the right of parents to opt their children out of the instruction, Senate Bill 2039 strikes the correct balance. House Bill 1342 was well-intentioned, but it lacked a provision for parental opt-out. This is inconsistent with the longstanding rule in Texas schools that parents can remove their child from 'any part of the district's human sexuality instruction.' Tex. Educ. Code § 28.004(i)."