BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 2014

By: Sheets

Public Education

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Interested parties assert that career and technology education is an important teaching area that trains law enforcement and other technical professionals such as welders, auto mechanics, and other appliance and maintenance professionals to help train students for careers that serve Texas' growing economy at all levels. In order to receive career and technology education certification, the parties note, a candidate must have a current license in the technical area in which the candidate intends to teach. However, military technicians and military police are not licensed, but these individuals do receive training and experience similar to that of their licensed civilian counterparts. According to the parties, an alternative teaching certification was created to facilitate the certification of military veterans, but the licensure requirements stifle veteran participation. H.B. 2014 seeks to address this issue to allow veterans to take their skills to the classroom and teach the next generation of technicians and law enforcement officers.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

H.B. 2014 amends the Education Code to establish that, to the extent that rules adopted with regard to the certification of educators require a person seeking career and technology education certification to hold a professional credential for a specific trade, a person who is a current or former member of the U.S. armed services is considered to have satisfied that requirement if the person has experience in that trade obtained through military service. The bill prohibits the State Board for Educator Certification from proposing rules requiring a current or former member of the U.S. armed services who seeks career and technology education certification for a specific trade to hold a credential related to that trade or possess experience related to that trade other than the experience obtained through military service.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2015.