H.B. No. 2484
 
 
 
 
AN ACT
  relating to the safety of a referee, judge, or other official at
  certain public school extracurricular activities and competitions
  and prohibiting certain conduct by a spectator related to those
  officials' safety.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 33.081, Education Code, is amended by
  adding Subsections (f-1), (f-2), and (f-3) and amending Subsection
  (g) to read as follows:
         (f-1)  A school district shall prohibit a spectator of an
  extracurricular athletic activity or competition, including a
  parent or guardian of a student participant, from attending any
  future extracurricular athletic activity or competition sponsored
  or sanctioned by the school district or the University
  Interscholastic League if the spectator engages in conduct that
  intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly causes bodily injury to a
  person serving as referee, judge, or other official of an
  extracurricular athletic activity or competition in retaliation
  for or as a result of the person's actions taken in performing the
  duties of a referee, judge, or other official of the
  extracurricular athletic activity or competition.
         (f-2)  A school district may establish an appeals process by
  which:
               (1)  a person may appeal to the district a prohibition
  imposed under Subsection (f-1); and
               (2)  the district may determine the facts associated
  with the conduct for which the school district imposed a
  prohibition under Subsection (f-1).
         (f-3)  A prohibition imposed under Subsection (f-1) must be
  for not less than one year after the date on which the prohibition
  is imposed but may not exceed five years from the date on which the
  prohibition is imposed.
         (g)  An appeal to the commissioner is not a contested case
  under Chapter 2001, Government Code, if the issues presented relate
  to a person's [student's] eligibility to participate in or attend an
  extracurricular activity [activities], including issues related to
  a [the] student's grades, the school district's grading policy as
  applied to a [the] student's eligibility, a [or the] student's
  eligibility based on conduct described by Subsection (e-1), or a
  spectator's eligibility to attend an extracurricular athletic
  activity or competition under Subsection (f-1).  The commissioner
  may delegate the matter for decision to a person the commissioner
  designates. The decision of the commissioner or the commissioner's
  designee in a matter governed by this subsection may not be appealed
  except on the grounds that the decision is arbitrary or capricious.
  Evidence may not be introduced on appeal other than the record of
  the evidence before the commissioner.
         SECTION 2.  Subchapter D, Chapter 33, Education Code, is
  amended by adding Section 33.099 to read as follows:
         Sec. 33.099.  SAFETY OF OFFICIAL. A school district or
  open-enrollment charter school that holds an extracurricular
  athletic activity or a University Interscholastic League athletic
  competition on district or school property shall provide a peace
  officer, a school resource officer, an administrator, or security
  personnel to ensure the safety of a referee, judge, or other
  official of the activity or competition until the official departs
  district or school property if:
               (1)  a participant or spectator of the activity or
  competition engages in, attempts to engage in, or threatens violent
  conduct against the official or otherwise disrupts the duties or
  free movement of the official; or
               (2)  the district or school reasonably suspects that an
  incident described by Subdivision (1) may occur at the activity or
  competition.
         SECTION 3.  This Act applies beginning with the 2023-2024
  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, 2023.
 
 
  ______________________________ ______________________________
     President of the Senate Speaker of the House     
 
 
         I certify that H.B. No. 2484 was passed by the House on April
  14, 2023, by the following vote:  Yeas 139, Nays 4, 1 present, not
  voting; that the House refused to concur in Senate amendments to
  H.B. No. 2484 on May 17, 2023, and requested the appointment of a
  conference committee to consider the differences between the two
  houses; and that the House adopted the conference committee report
  on H.B. No. 2484 on May 25, 2023, by the following vote:  Yeas 133,
  Nays 10, 2 present, not voting.
 
  ______________________________
  Chief Clerk of the House   
 
         I certify that H.B. No. 2484 was passed by the Senate, with
  amendments, on May 15, 2023, by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays
  0; at the request of the House, the Senate appointed a conference
  committee to consider the differences between the two houses; and
  that the Senate adopted the conference committee report on H.B. No.
  2484 on May 25, 2023, by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays 0.
 
  ______________________________
  Secretary of the Senate   
  APPROVED: __________________
                  Date       
   
           __________________
                Governor