BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 3833

By: Lopez, Janie

Youth Health & Safety, Select

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

School counselors play a critical role in supporting the academic, social, and emotional development of students. Beyond counseling services, counselors provide students with the career guidance, academic support, and crisis intervention that can help them overcome barriers to success, navigate difficult situations, and develop the skills and resources they need to thrive. Additionally, school counselors can play a key role in identifying and addressing mental health concerns among students. However, current law governing school counseling programs does not fully address student emotional development. C.S.H.B. 3833 seeks to address this issue by providing for school counseling to address student emotional development.

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. 3833 amends the Education Code to include emotional abilities among the student abilities the development of which is the primary responsibility of a school counselor. The bill includes a student who is at risk of choosing an unhealthy or inappropriate solution to a problem or engaging in harmful behavior toward the student's self or others among the students whose special needs must be addressed in a comprehensive developmental school counseling program. The bill applies beginning with the 2023-2024 school year.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2023.

COMPARISON OF INTRODUCED AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.H.B. 3833 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.

The introduced required the comprehensive developmental school counseling program to address the special needs of students who are at risk of engaging in harmful or otherwise inappropriate behaviors in response to personal or academic problems, whereas the substitute requires the program to address the special needs of students who are at risk of choosing an unhealthy or inappropriate solution to a problem or engaging in harmful behavior toward the student's self or others.