By Ehrhardt, Naishtat, Danburg, Villarreal,           H.B. No. 1296
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to a prohibition of discrimination by public educational
 1-3     institutions.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Chapter 1, Education Code, is amended by adding
 1-6     Section 1.0021 to read as follows:
 1-7           Sec. 1.0021.  DISCRIMINATION PROHIBITED.  (a)  In this
 1-8     section, "sexual preference" has the following meaning only:  a
 1-9     preference for heterosexuality, homosexuality, or bisexuality.
1-10           (b)  A public educational institution or employee of a public
1-11     educational institution may not discriminate against a student
1-12     enrolled in the institution on account of the ethnicity, color,
1-13     gender, gender identity, sexual preference, disability, religion,
1-14     or national origin of the student or the student's parent.
1-15           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
1-16     a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
1-17     provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
1-18     Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
1-19     Act takes effect September 1, 2001.