By Hochberg                                      H.B. No. 387

      75R710 KKA-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to holding certain school board meetings outside district

 1-3     boundaries.

 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 26.007, Education Code, is amended to

 1-6     read as follows:

 1-7           Sec. 26.007.  ACCESS TO BOARD MEETINGS.  (a)  A parent is

 1-8     entitled to complete access to any meeting of the board of trustees

 1-9     of the school district, other than a closed meeting held in

1-10     compliance with Subchapters D and E, Chapter 551, Government Code.

1-11           (b)  Except as provided by Subsection (c) or (d), a [A] board

1-12     of trustees of a school district must hold each public meeting of

1-13     the board within the boundaries of the district [except as required

1-14     by law or except to hold a joint meeting with another district].

1-15     All public meetings must comply with Chapter 551, Government Code.

1-16           (c)  A board of trustees of a school district may hold

1-17     outside the boundaries of the district:

1-18                 (1)  a meeting held jointly with another district; or

1-19                 (2)  a meeting required by law to be held outside the

1-20     district.

1-21           (d)  A board of trustees may hold not more than one working

1-22     retreat outside school district boundaries each year.  A board of

1-23     trustees may not take final action or make a final decision at a

1-24     working retreat held under this subsection.  A working retreat may

 2-1     consist of two or more consecutive days.  In this subsection,

 2-2     "working retreat" means an open meeting as defined by Section

 2-3     551.001, Government Code, at which a board of trustees engages in

 2-4     long-range planning, team-building, leadership development, or

 2-5     training.

 2-6           SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the

 2-7     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

 2-8     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

 2-9     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-10     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

2-11     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

2-12     passage, and it is so enacted.