By: Rodriguez of Bexar, Collier H.B. No. 2952

(Senate Sponsor - Watson)

(In the Senate - Received from the House May 10, 2013; May 10, 2013, read first time and referred to Committee on Administration; May 15, 2013, reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 4, Nays 0; May 15, 2013, sent to printer.)

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the period of time allowed for issuance of decisions by the commissioner of education in certain appeals against school districts.

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

SECTION 1. Section 7.057(c), Education Code, is amended to read as follows:

(c) In an appeal against a school district, the commissioner shall, not later than the 240th day after the date the appeal is filed, issue a decision based on a review of the record developed at the district level under a substantial evidence standard of review. The parties to the appeal may agree in writing to extend, by not more than 60 days, the date by which the commissioner must issue a decision under this subsection. A school district's disclosure of the record to the commissioner under this subsection is not an offense under Section 551.146, Government Code.

SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies only to an appeal filed on or after the effective date of this Act. An appeal filed before the effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect at the time the appeal was filed, and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.

SECTION 3. 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, 2013.

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