BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 1905

By: Talarico

Youth Health & Safety, Select

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Protecting Texas children is a priority, both during school and after. Many school districts require all educators to attend school safety training courses approved by the Texas School Safety Center, including active shooter training, to ensure staff are prepared during times of emergency. However, organizations providing after-school care to students may not have the resources to provide such training to their staff. By expanding safety training options to additional facilities holding children, we can help prevent the worst of disasters from hurting our youngest and most vulnerable. C.S.H.B. 1905 seeks to allow school districts to make their existing school training courses available to employees of child-care facilities and other organizations providing out-of-school-time care to children in the district, as well as certain private schools.

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. 1905 amends the Education Code to authorize a public school district, from money available for the purpose, to make school safety training courses, including active shooter training courses, that are approved under state law and determined to be appropriate by the district's school safety and security committee available at no cost to employees of accredited private schools located in the district or child‑care facilities or other organizations providing out‑of‑school‑time care to children younger than 18 years of age who reside in the district. The bill authorizes the Texas Education Agency to solicit and accept gifts, grants, and donations from any public or private source to pay the cost of offering such a course. For the bill's purposes, an organization providing out-of-school-time care includes a faith-based organization, a before-school or after-school program, a summer camp, a Texas 4‑H or other agricultural program, and a youth sports organization.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2023.

COMPARISON OF INTRODUCED AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.H.B. 1905 may differ from the introduced in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.

While the introduced and the substitute both provide for districts to make school safety training courses available at no cost to employees of certain entities, the substitute differs from the introduced in the following ways:

· whereas the introduced required a district to make the courses available, the substitute authorizes a district to do so;

· the substitute includes employees of accredited private schools located in the district among the eligible employees, whereas the introduced did not; and

· the substitute includes a condition absent from the introduced that the courses made available have been determined to be appropriate by the district's school safety and security committee.