1-1     By:  Hochberg (Senate Sponsor - Ellis)                 H.B. No. 217
 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House April 19, 1999;
 1-3     April 20, 1999, read first time and referred to Committee on
 1-4     Education; May 14, 1999, reported favorably by the following vote:
 1-5     Yeas 6, Nays 0; May 14, 1999, sent to printer.)
 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-7                                   AN ACT
 1-8     relating to excused absences from public school attendance for the
 1-9     purpose of observing religious holy days.
1-10           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-11           SECTION 1.  Section 25.087(b), Education Code, is amended to
1-12     read as follows:
1-13           (b)  A school district shall excuse a student from attending
1-14     school for the purpose of observing religious holy days, including
1-15     traveling for that purpose[, if before the absence the parent,
1-16     guardian, or person having custody or control of the student
1-17     submits a written request for the excused absence].  A school
1-18     district shall excuse a student for temporary absence resulting
1-19     from health care professionals if that student commences classes or
1-20     returns to school on the same day of the appointment.  A student
1-21     whose absence is excused under this subsection may not be penalized
1-22     for that absence and shall be counted as if the student attended
1-23     school for purposes of calculating the average daily attendance of
1-24     students in the school district.  A student whose absence is
1-25     excused under this subsection shall be allowed a reasonable time to
1-26     make up school work missed on those days.  If the student
1-27     satisfactorily completes the school work, the day of absence shall
1-28     be counted as a day of compulsory attendance.
1-29           SECTION 2.  This Act applies beginning with the 1999-2000
1-30     school year.
1-31           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
1-32     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
1-33     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
1-34     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
1-35     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
1-36     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
1-37     passage, and it is so enacted.
1-38                                  * * * * *