BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 4047

By: Allen

Public Education

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

School districts are currently prohibited from coercing a teacher, directly or indirectly, to join any group, club, committee, organization, or association. Additionally, a district cannot prohibit a teacher from participating in political affairs or in a professional association or organization. These prohibitions guarantee that a teacher's right to free speech is not inhibited. H.B. 4047 seeks to extend the same protections to teachers in open-enrollment charter schools.

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. 4047 amends the Education Code to subject an open-enrollment charter school to the right of an educator to join or refuse to join any professional association or organization and to the right of a teacher to be free from coercion to join any group, club, committee, or organization or to refrain from participating in political affairs in the teacher's community, state, or nation.

EFFECTIVE DATE

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