By: Patrick S.B. No. 300

(In the Senate - Filed November 17, 2008; February 11, 2009, read first time and referred to Committee on Education; March 16, 2009, reported adversely, with favorable Committee Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 9, Nays 0; March 16, 2009, sent to printer.)

COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 300 By: Williams

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to eliminating or modifying certain mandates on school districts.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 25.112, Education Code, is amended by amending Subsection (d) and adding Subsections (e), (f), and (g) to read as follows:

(d) On application of a school district, the commissioner may except the district from the limit in Subsection (a) if the commissioner finds the limit works an undue hardship on the district. An exception expires at the end of the school year [semester] for which it is granted[, and the commissioner may not grant an exception for:

[(1) more than one semester at a time].

(e) A school district seeking an exception under Subsection (d) shall notify the commissioner and apply for the exception not later than the later of:

(1) October 1; or

(2) the 30th day after the first school day the district exceeds the limit in Subsection (a).

(f) If a school district repeatedly fails to comply with this section, the commissioner may take any appropriate action authorized to be taken by the commissioner under Section 39.131.

(g) Not later than January 1, 2011, the agency shall report to the legislature the number of applications for exceptions under Subsection (d) submitted by each school district and for each application indicate whether the application was granted or denied. This subsection expires February 1, 2011.

SECTION 2. Subsection (b), Section 34.0021, Education Code, is amended to read as follows:

(b) A school district shall conduct the school bus emergency evacuation training at least once [twice] each school year. The training may be conducted by video[, with one training session occurring in the fall and one training session occurring in the spring. A portion of the training session must occur on a school bus and the training session must last for at least one hour].

SECTION 3. Section 44.902, Education Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 44.902. LONG-RANGE ENERGY PLAN [GOAL] TO REDUCE CONSUMPTION OF ELECTRIC ENERGY. The board of trustees of a school district shall establish a long-range energy plan [goal] to reduce the [school] district's annual electric consumption by five percent beginning with the 2008 [each] state fiscal year and consume electricity in subsequent fiscal years in accordance with the district's energy plan [for six years beginning September 1, 2007].

SECTION 4. Subsection (b), Section 44.903, Education Code, is amended to read as follows:

(b) A school district is encouraged to [shall] purchase for use in each type of light fixture in an instructional facility the commercially available model of light bulb that:

(1) uses the fewest watts for the necessary luminous flux or light output;

(2) is compatible with the light fixture; and

(3) is the most cost-effective, considering the factors described by Subdivisions (1) and (2).

SECTION 5. Subsection (b), Section 44.901, Education Code, is repealed.

SECTION 6. This Act applies beginning with the 2009-2010 school year.

SECTION 7. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2009.

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