BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 570

By: Capriglione

Public Education

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

It has been noted that some charter holders operate networks of open‑enrollment charter schools across Texas. There are concerns about a potential lack of transparency for open meetings held by the governing body of such a charter holder because the meeting location may be far away from a charter school campus location, which can make attendance difficult. C.S.H.B. 570 seeks to ensure that parents of charter school students and other concerned parties have adequate access to open meetings held by the governing body of a charter holder or charter school.

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. 570 amends the Education Code to require the governing body of a charter holder for an open-enrollment charter school and the governing body of a charter school to hold each open meeting within the geographical area served by the school and, if the school includes campuses that are located in noncontiguous municipalities, to broadcast the open meeting over the Internet in the manner prescribed by state open meetings law.

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. 570 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 changes the location in which a governing body is required to hold each open meeting that is not broadcast over the Internet. The substitute conditions the requirement of such a governing body to broadcast the open meeting over the Internet on the school including campuses that are located in noncontiguous municipalities. 

The substitute does not include requirements for a governing body that broadcasts the open meeting over the Internet to make an audio and video recording of the meeting and to make an archived copy of such recordings available on the Internet.