BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	H.B. 367
89R2577 PRL-F	By: Rosenthal et al. (Men�ndez)
	Education K-16
	5/19/2025
	Engrossed

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

In 2021, the 87th Texas Legislature enacted H.B. 699, which required public school districts to excuse a student from attending school for an absence resulting from a serious or life-threatening illness or related treatment. While the legislation has achieved the intended goal of excusing these medically vulnerable students, there is some confusion regarding what exactly is required for an applicable absence to be excused.

H.B. 367 seeks to address this issue by simplifying the process for verifying these excused absences with the use of a form and clarifying the law so that all involved parties understand their responsibilities.

H.B. 367 amends current law relating to verification of excused absences from public school for students with severe or life-threatening illnesses.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Section 25.087, Education Code, by amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (g), as follows:

(b) Requires a school district to excuse a student from attending school for certain purposes, including for an absence resulting from a serious or life-threatening illness or related treatment that makes the student's attendance infeasible, if the student or the student's parent or guardian provides on a form adopted by the district under Subsection (g) a certification from a physician licensed to practice medicine in this state specifying certain information, as determined by the physician, including a statement that the illness is serious or life-threatening and a statement that the illness makes the student's attendance infeasible during the anticipated period of absence described by Paragraph (C) (relating to the anticipated period of the student's absence relating to the illness or relating treatment). Makes nonsubstantive changes.

(g) Provides that, for purposes of excusing a student with a serious or life-threatening illness from attending school under Subsection (b)(3) (relating to an absence resulting from a serious or life-threatening illness), a school district is:

(1) required to adopt a form to provide the certification described by that subsection; and

(2) prohibited from requiring the student or the student's parent or guardian to provide more documentation or information than is required by the form adopted under Subdivision (1).

SECTION 2. Requires each school district, as soon as practicable after the effective date of this Act, to adopt the form required by Section 25.087(g), Education Code, as added by this Act.

SECTION 3. Provides that this Act applies beginning with the 2025�2026 school year.

SECTION 4. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2025.