BILL ANALYSIS
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Senate Research Center |
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AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
H.B. 480 seeks to help enhance a child's early learning experience. Research has shown that the earlier a parent is involved in the child's education, the better the student performs in school. If a student performs better, the student is more likely to earn higher grades and test scores, attend school regularly, have better social skills, and graduate from high school. Out of all the states that allow parents to take leave to participate in their child's education related activities, Texas is the only state that limits sick leave to parent-teacher conferences.
Currently, state law allows state employees to use up to eight hours of sick leave each fiscal year to attend a parent-teacher conference. H.B. 480 expands this provision to allow parents to attend other school sponsored activities such as tutoring, field trips, classroom programs, academic competitions, et cetera. Employees are required to give reasonable advance notice of their intention to use their sick leave to attend an educational activity. H.B. 480 seeks to promote parental involvement by authorizing the use of accrued sick leave for state employees.
H.B. 480 amends current law relating to the use of sick leave by state employees who are attending educational activities of their children.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends the heading to Section 661.206, Government Code, to read as follows:
Sec. 661.206. EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES: USE OF SICK LEAVE.
SECTION 2. Amends Sections 661.206(b), (c), and (d), Government Code, as follows:
(b) Authorizes an employee to use up to eight hours of sick leave each fiscal year to attend educational activities of, rather than parent-teacher conference sessions for, the employee's children.
(c) Requires an employee to give reasonable advance notice of the employee's intention to use the sick leave to attend an educational activity, rather than a parent-teacher conference.
(d) Defines, in this section, "educational activity." Makes nonsubstantive changes.
SECTION 3. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2013.