By: Patterson H.B. No. 538
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to the removal of restrictions on funding and payment of
  costs for certain full-time online educational programs.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 26.0031(c-1), Education Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         (c-1)  A school district or open-enrollment charter school
  may decline to pay the cost for a student of more than three
  yearlong electronic courses, or the equivalent, during any school
  year. This subsection does not:
               (1)  limit the ability of the student to enroll in
  additional electronic courses at the student's cost; or
               (2)  apply to a student enrolled in a full-time online
  program [that was operating on January 1, 2013].
         SECTION 2.  Section 30A.153(a-1), Education Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         (a-1)  For purposes of Subsection (a), a school district or
  open-enrollment charter school is limited to the funding described
  by that subsection for a student's enrollment in not more than three
  electronic courses during any school year, unless the student is
  enrolled in a full-time online program [that was operating on
  January 1, 2013].
         SECTION 3.  The changes in law made by this Act apply to
  electronic courses taken through the state virtual school network
  beginning with the 2021-2022 school year.
         SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
  a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
  provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
  Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
  Act takes effect September 1, 2021.