BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 4342

By: Clardy

Public Education

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

School design has been increasingly recognized for its role in keeping students, faculty, and school personnel safe and secure and often involves architects who are responsible for ensuring that the best materials are used and the most current codes and planning expertise are incorporated. It has been suggested that the Texas School Safety Center and its resources could benefit from regular input and advice from architects. H.B. 4342 seeks to include an architect on the board of directors of the Texas School Safety Center.  

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. 4342 amends the Education Code to include a professional architect who is registered in Texas and a member of the Texas Society of Architects among the members of the Texas School Safety Center board of directors who are appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate. The bill increases from two to three the number of the members of the public on the board subject to such appointment. The bill requires the governor to appoint the new members not later than February 1, 2020. The bill provides for the staggering of terms, establishes that the expiration of the term of a professional architect is February 1 of each even‑numbered year, and changes the expiration of the term of a public primary or secondary school teacher to February 1 of each odd-numbered year. The bill expressly does not affect the term of the public primary or secondary school teacher serving on the board immediately before the bill's effective date and requires the governor, after the member's term expires on February 1, 2020, to appoint a public primary or secondary school teacher to the board to a term expiring February 1, 2021.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2019.