By Gallegos                                     S.B. No. 1178

      75R6114 CAS-F                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to certification of a public school educator by the

 1-3     National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

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

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Subchapter H, Chapter 21, Education Code, is

 1-6     amended by adding Section 21.358 to read as            follows:

 1-7           Sec. 21.358.  NATIONAL BOARD FOR PROFESSIONAL TEACHING

 1-8     STANDARDS CERTIFICATION REIMBURSEMENT.   An educator who

 1-9     voluntarily applies for certification from and becomes certified by

1-10     the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is entitled

1-11     to  reimbursement from state funds appropriated for that purpose

1-12     for not more than $1,000 of the necessary costs the educator incurs

1-13     in achieving that certification.

1-14           SECTION 2.  Section 22.003(a), Education Code, is amended to

1-15     read as follows:

1-16           (a)  A state minimum personal leave program consisting of

1-17     five days per year personal leave with no limit on accumulation and

1-18     transferable among districts shall be provided for school district

1-19     employees.  School districts may provide additional personal leave

1-20     beyond this minimum.  The board of trustees of a school district

1-21     may adopt a policy governing an employee's use of personal leave

1-22     granted under this subsection.  The board of trustees may not

1-23     restrict an educator's use of personal leave to prepare for

1-24     certification by the  National Board for Professional Teaching

 2-1     Standards.

 2-2           SECTION 3.  Section 21.358, Education Code, as added by this

 2-3     Act, applies to reimbursement only for those expenses an educator

 2-4     incurs on or after the effective date of this Act in achieving

 2-5     certification by the National Board for Professional Teaching

 2-6     Standards.

 2-7           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the

 2-8     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

 2-9     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-10     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-11     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

2-12     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

2-13     passage, and it is so enacted.