76R11918 JD-D By Hochberg H.B. No. 211 Substitute the following for H.B. No. 211: By Hochberg C.S.H.B. No. 211 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to compliance by school districts and open-enrollment 1-3 charter schools with the public information law and the open 1-4 meetings law. 1-5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-6 SECTION 1. Section 12.105(b), Education Code, is amended to 1-7 read as follows: 1-8 (b) The governing body of the school is considered a 1-9 governmental body for purposes of Chapters 551 and 552, Government 1-10 Code. Any requirement in those chapters relating to a school 1-11 district, school board, or school children applies to an 1-12 open-enrollment charter school and to children attending an 1-13 open-enrollment school. 1-14 SECTION 2. Subchapter C, Chapter 552, Government Code, is 1-15 amended by adding Section 552.131 to read as follows: 1-16 Sec. 552.131. EXCEPTION: CERTAIN INFORMATION HELD BY SCHOOL 1-17 DISTRICT. (a) Information held by a school district collected in 1-18 connection with an internal investigation conducted by the district 1-19 is excepted from the requirements of Section 552.021 to the extent 1-20 that the information names or otherwise identifies a student or 1-21 former student or an employee or former employee of the district. 1-22 (b) Subsection (a) does not apply if: 1-23 (1) the student, former student, employee, or former 1-24 employee was the person on whom the internal investigation focused 2-1 or whose conduct was at issue; or 2-2 (2) the student or former student, or the parent, 2-3 legal guardian, or spouse of the student or former student, or the 2-4 employee or former employee consents to disclosure of the person's 2-5 name. 2-6 (c) Information excepted under Subsection (a) shall be made 2-7 available to a law enforcement agency or prosecutor for official 2-8 purposes on the request of the agency or prosecutor. 2-9 (d) This section does not infringe on or impair the 2-10 informer's privilege recognized and applied as making information 2-11 confidential under Section 552.108. 2-12 SECTION 3. Subchapter H, Chapter 552, Government Code, is 2-13 amended by adding Section 552.3241 to read as follows: 2-14 Sec. 552.3241. APPEAL BY SCHOOL DISTRICT OR OPEN-ENROLLMENT 2-15 CHARTER SCHOOL PROHIBITED. Notwithstanding any other provision in 2-16 this chapter, a school district or an open-enrollment charter 2-17 school, or the officer for public information or other agent of the 2-18 district or school, may not file a suit challenging a decision of 2-19 the attorney general issued under Subchapter G or otherwise seeking 2-20 relief from compliance with the decision. 2-21 SECTION 4. Section 552.3241, Government Code, as added by 2-22 this Act, applies only to a decision of the attorney general issued 2-23 on or after the effective date of this Act. 2-24 SECTION 5. The importance of this legislation and the 2-25 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 2-26 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 2-27 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 3-1 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended, 3-2 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its 3-3 passage, and it is so enacted.