By Hernandez                                          H.B. No. 2585
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to advisory commissions for the Central Education Agency.
    1-3        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-4        SECTION 1.  Section 12.04, Education Code, is amended to read
    1-5  as follows:
    1-6        Sec. 12.04.  TEXTBOOK PROCLAMATIONS <PROCLAMATION
    1-7  COMMITTEES>.  <(a)> The State Board of Education shall issue a
    1-8  proclamation of the schedule for the adoption process for a
    1-9  category of textbooks and other instructional material not later
   1-10  than 32 months before the date scheduled for adoptions for that
   1-11  category.  The board shall include in the proclamation a schedule
   1-12  of the board meetings at which the adoptions may be made.
   1-13        <(b)  The board shall appoint a textbook proclamation
   1-14  advisory committee for each of the subject areas of reading,
   1-15  language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. The board
   1-16  may determine the number of persons to serve on each committee.>
   1-17        <(c)  Each textbook proclamation advisory committee shall
   1-18  make recommendations for the proclamation to the board for the
   1-19  subject area assigned to that committee relating to:>
   1-20              <(1)  specifications for the content of textbooks,
   1-21  which must be consistent with the curriculum requirements of
   1-22  Section 21.101 of this code and with rules adopted under that
   1-23  section; and>
    2-1              <(2)  criteria to be used to evaluate textbooks
    2-2  submitted for consideration.>
    2-3        <(d)  At least a majority of the members of each textbook
    2-4  proclamation advisory committee shall be classroom teachers, and
    2-5  all members shall be appointed because of unusual background or
    2-6  training or recognized ability as teachers in the subject fields
    2-7  for which adoptions are to be made during the year of appointment.
    2-8  At least one member of each textbook proclamation advisory
    2-9  committee shall be knowledgeable in the field of special education.
   2-10  At least two members of each textbook proclamation advisory
   2-11  committee shall be persons who are not employed in the public
   2-12  schools, but who are recognized for their expertise in a subject
   2-13  area assigned to that committee.>
   2-14        <(e)  A person is not eligible for appointment to a textbook
   2-15  proclamation advisory committee if, during the two years preceding
   2-16  the person's appointment, the person or the person's spouse:>
   2-17              <(1)  is employed by or receives funds from a textbook
   2-18  publishing firm or an agent representing a textbook author or a
   2-19  publishing firm; or>
   2-20              <(2)  owns or controls, directly or indirectly, any
   2-21  interest in a textbook publishing firm or an entity receiving funds
   2-22  from a textbook publishing firm.>
   2-23        <(f)  During a person's term on a textbook proclamation
   2-24  advisory committee, the person or the person's spouse may not
   2-25  engage in an activity for which a person is ineligible for
    3-1  appointment under Subsection (e) of this section.  For two years
    3-2  after the date on which the person's term expires, the person or
    3-3  the person's spouse may not be employed by a textbook publishing
    3-4  firm or an agent representing a textbook author or a publishing
    3-5  firm.>
    3-6        <(g)  Each person appointed to a textbook proclamation
    3-7  advisory committee shall file with the State Board of Education an
    3-8  affidavit verifying that the person does not have an interest that
    3-9  conflicts with the duties of the committee.>
   3-10        SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the
   3-11  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   3-12  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   3-13  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   3-14  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
   3-15  and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
   3-16  passage, and it is so enacted.