BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 24

By: Darby

Appropriations

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Interested parties report that the governor has encouraged the legislature to increase educator salaries for the purpose of recruiting and retaining high-quality educators. H.B. 24 seeks to provide for such an increase.

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. 24 amends the Education Code to increase the salary factor for each year of experience used to calculate the salary schedule for each classroom teacher, full-time librarian, full-time certified school counselor, or full-time school nurse employed by a public school district. The bill entitles these employees, for the 2017-2018 school year, to a monthly salary that is at least equal to the sum of $100 and the monthly salary the employee would have received for the 2017‑2018 school year under the school district's salary schedule for the 2016-2017 school year, if that schedule had been in effect for the 2017-2018 school year, including any local supplement and any money representing a career ladder supplement the employee would have received in the 2017-2018 school year. The bill sets this entitlement to expire September 1, 2018. The bill entitles these employees employed by a school district in the 2017-2018 school year, as long as the employee is employed by the same district, to a salary that is at least equal to the salary the employee received for the 2017-2018 school year. The bill repeals a provision establishing an alternative minimum monthly salary schedule based exclusively on years of experience for each classroom teacher, full-time speech pathologist, full-time librarian, full-time certified school counselor, and full-time school nurse.

H.B. 24 adds an amount equal to the product of $1,000 multiplied by the number of classroom teachers, full-time librarians, full-time certified school counselors, and full-time school nurses employed by a school district to the additional state aid for staff salary increases to which the district is entitled.

H.B. 24 appropriates $848,000,000 from the economic stabilization fund to the Texas Education Agency (TEA) for use by TEA during the 2018-2019 state fiscal biennium in supporting salary increases as provided by the bill, in addition to other amounts appropriated in S.B. 1, Acts of the 85th Legislature, Regular Session, 2017 (the General Appropriations Act), to TEA for the 2018‑2019 state fiscal biennium.

H.B. 24 applies beginning with the 2017-2018 school year and takes effect only if the bill receives the vote necessary for an appropriation from the economic stabilization fund.

H.B. 24 repeals Section 21.402(c-1), Education Code.

EFFECTIVE DATE

Except as otherwise provided, on passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, the 91st day after the last day of the legislative session.