By:  West                                             S.B. No. 1359

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

                                       AN ACT

 1-1     relating to public school educators' requests for hearings

 1-2     concerning certain proposed school district decisions.

 1-3           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-4           SECTION 1.  Section 21.253, Education Code, is amended to

 1-5     read as follows:

 1-6           Sec. 21.253.  REQUEST FOR HEARING.  A teacher must file a

 1-7     written request for a hearing under this subchapter with the

 1-8     commissioner not later than the 15th day after the date the teacher

 1-9     receives written notice of the proposed action.  The teacher must

1-10     provide the district with a copy of the request.  A copy of the

1-11     written notice of proposed action must be included with the written

1-12     request for appointment of an independent hearing examiner.  The

1-13     commissioner shall adopt rules for determining whether a teacher is

1-14     entitled to a hearing conducted under this subchapter.  A

1-15     jurisdictional determination by the commissioner is appealable.

1-16           SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-17     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-18     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-19     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-20     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

1-21     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

1-22     passage, and it is so enacted.