Voucher bill stalls in House committee as others advance
While the House Public Education Committee met Tuesday to vote out several bills, no vote was taken on SB 8, the voucher proposal — most likely indicating that the bill does not have enough support at this time to be approved.
The committee did advance SB 9, which was the Senate’s main teacher bill, but it no longer includes provisions for teacher salary increases. In its current version, which must still be approved by the House before returning to the Senate, the bill includes TCTA-initiated language intended to curb extra duties.
A bill addressing school safety and one on displaying the Ten Commandments in classrooms were approved by the committee. Click here to read more.
TCTA speaks out against voucher plan
Inaction on SB 8 comes after TCTA testified against the bill on Monday. The House Public Education Committee was considering a new version of the bill that included a brand-new proposal to replace STAAR testing, and TCTA was the only teacher group invited to testify at the meeting. TCTA's Paige Williams spoke about the need to maximize funding for public schools rather than funding yet another school system (traditional schools, charter schools, and now private schools), and concluded by saying:
"We believe that lawmakers have a rare opportunity this session to help students, teachers and schools. We are disappointed that so much attention is focused on legislation like this that we believe will harm public schools and that does nothing to address our teacher shortage. We ask you to not allow SB 8 to progress, but to keep your focus on school funding, teacher salaries and working conditions that will help ensure our students are given the best education possible by high-quality, experienced teachers at well-funded schools." You can watch her testimony here.
In other action this week:
- Legislation to provide a benefit increase for retirees is back on the move. While full details have not yet been publicized, a proposed constitutional amendment to accompany the main retiree benefit bill passed out of the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday. The proposed amendment includes language providing benefit increases, but other parts of it could limit future increases. Click here to find out why.
- Several education bills, some of which TCTA opposed, have passed both the House and Senate. Some will move on for Gov. Greg Abbott's consideration, while others will go to a conference committee for negotiations between the House and Senate. Click here to read more.
With only 10 days left in the legislative session, lawmakers are meeting throughout the weekend and important actions can happen at any time. Be sure to check our Capitol Updates webpage for the latest news from Austin.
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