| |
| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to the provision by school districts of certain records |
|
|
and financial information to the public. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Subchapter Z, Chapter 44, Education Code, is |
|
|
amended by adding Section 44.906 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 44.906. TRANSPARENCY OF PUBLIC INFORMATION; ONLINE |
|
|
PORTAL. (a) For the purpose of streamlining and minimizing |
|
|
requests for public information and reducing the associated costs |
|
|
of fulfilling those requests, a school district shall establish, |
|
|
maintain, and update regularly on the district's Internet website a |
|
|
publicly accessible online portal developed in a user-friendly |
|
|
format that allows a person to access a repository of critical |
|
|
documents relating to the district's operations in real time |
|
|
through interactive dashboards and data visualization tools. |
|
|
(b) The online portal must be searchable and allow a person |
|
|
to specify the records sought, including by keywords, date ranges, |
|
|
and document types. |
|
|
(c) The repository of critical documents must include: |
|
|
(1) a copy of each contract and consulting agreement |
|
|
entered into by the district, including: |
|
|
(A) procurement records required by state law; |
|
|
(B) the total value of the contract; |
|
|
(C) change orders; |
|
|
(D) payment applications; |
|
|
(E) project timelines; |
|
|
(F) conflict of interest disclosures; |
|
|
(G) information regarding the selection process |
|
|
for the contractor or consultant, as applicable; and |
|
|
(H) any other key construction documents; |
|
|
(2) a disclosure of the district's investment |
|
|
policies, including information regarding: |
|
|
(A) investment objectives; |
|
|
(B) risk tolerance; |
|
|
(C) diversification strategies; and |
|
|
(D) fee structures; |
|
|
(3) regular performance reports on the district's |
|
|
investment portfolio, including information regarding: |
|
|
(A) returns; |
|
|
(B) fees paid; |
|
|
(C) benchmark comparisons; and |
|
|
(D) any company that employs a person involved in |
|
|
buying, selling, or trading district bonds; |
|
|
(4) the minutes, certified agenda, or recording, as |
|
|
applicable, of each regular or special meeting of the district's |
|
|
board of trustees, including a document in a portable document |
|
|
format (PDF) of each agenda item, if available; and |
|
|
(5) the district's financial reports. |
|
|
(d) Not later than 30 days after the date a school district |
|
|
creates, receives, or modifies a document described by Subsection |
|
|
(c), the district shall update the repository of critical documents |
|
|
accordingly. |
|
|
SECTION 2. 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, 2025. |