BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 111

By: González, Mary

Public Education

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Concerns have been raised over the need for certain school employees to better identify and prevent abuse and maltreatment of students with severe cognitive disabilities. C.S.H.B. 111 seeks to address this concern by specifically requiring that training for all public school district and open‑enrollment charter school employees include prevention techniques for and recognition of sexual abuse, sex trafficking, and other maltreatment of children with significant cognitive disabilities.  

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

C.S.H.B. 111 reenacts and amends Section 38.0041, Education Code, as amended by Chapter 762 (S.B. 2039), Acts of the 85th Legislature, Regular Session, 2017, to specify:

·       that the resources that must be used as part of a public school district or open‑enrollment charter school's policy to develop methods to increase awareness of issues regarding sexual abuse, sex trafficking, and other maltreatment of children include resources developed by the Texas Education Agency and the commissioner of education regarding such issues; and

·       that, for purposes of the training that must be provided to all district and charter school employees under that policy, such training includes prevention techniques for and recognition of sexual abuse, sex trafficking, and other maltreatment of children with significant cognitive disabilities.

C.S.H.B. 111 applies beginning with the 2019-2020 school year.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2019.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.H.B. 111 may differ from the original in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.

The substitute includes a reenactment of certain provisions regarding a district and charter school policy addressing sexual abuse, sex trafficking, and other maltreatment of children that contains a clarification regarding the resources used in developing methods to increase staff, student, and parent awareness of those issues.