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The Texas Senate Committee on Education has a hearing coming up. We reviewed the notice and the attached bill documents and flagged 5 items for the policy team.
| WATCH (LEVEL 5) |
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Interim Charge: Monitoring HB 6 (Telehealth Mental Health Services)
The committee is monitoring implementation of HB 6 (89th Leg.), which includes provisions for ‘access to telehealth mental health services in public schools’. While the bill also addresses discipline, the expansion of school-based mental health services could represent mission creep, create new costs, and raise concerns about parental consent and oversight that warrant scrutiny.
Recommended Action
Submit written testimony by October 7 with questions regarding the cost, scope, and parental consent protocols for telehealth services being implemented under HB 6. Recommend guardrails to protect parental rights and ensure fiscal discipline.
💰 Fiscal Impact: No fiscal note provided.
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✅ Items to Support
Proposals worth testimony or member contact so they advance.
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| Major Win (LEVEL 9) |
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Interim Charge: Celebrating the Successful Rollout of School Choice
The committee will monitor the implementation of the state’s Education Savings Account program (SB 2, 89th Leg.) and is explicitly asked to ‘provide recommendations on how the Legislature can enhance and expand upon Texas’ historic and successful school choice program’. The charge frames the program’s launch as a success with ‘record-breaking demand’, creating a prime opportunity to advocate for increased funding, expanded eligibility, and reduced regulatory burdens.
How to Support It
Register to testify at the hearing by October 7. Prepare detailed written and oral testimony with specific legislative recommendations for program expansion. Request meetings with the offices of Chair Campbell and Vice Chair Bettencourt prior to the hearing to present TPPF’s proposals.
✅ Why It Matters: No fiscal note provided.
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| Major Win (LEVEL 8) |
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Interim Charge: Monitoring SB 12 (Parental Rights, DEI)
The committee is monitoring the implementation of SB 12 (89th Leg.), a major law concerning ‘parental rights in public education’ and prohibitions on ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion duties’. This hearing is a key opportunity to defend a recent legislative victory by providing testimony on school district compliance and recommending statutory clarifications to prevent any misinterpretation or circumvention of the law’s intent.
How to Support It
Register to testify by October 7. Submit written testimony detailing any known implementation issues with SB 12 and offer recommendations to strengthen its enforcement. Brief the offices of Sen. Paxton and Sen. King on TPPF’s findings.
✅ Why It Matters: No fiscal note provided.
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| Major Win (LEVEL 7) |
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Interim Charge: Monitoring SB 13 (Library Materials)
The committee will review the implementation of SB 13 (89th Leg.), relating to ‘a school district’s library materials and catalog’ and parental rights. This provides a forum to ensure the law is being implemented with fidelity and that local school library advisory councils are functioning as intended to give parents oversight.
How to Support It
Register to testify or submit written testimony by October 7. Present any available evidence on the effectiveness of SB 13 or instances of non-compliance by school districts.
✅ Why It Matters: No fiscal note provided.
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| Win (LEVEL 6) |
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Interim Charge: Promoting America & Texas First in Our Schools
The committee is charged with examining school partnerships with ‘federal or state-designated hostile agents or their surrogates’ and making recommendations to ‘ensure public schools promote students’ learning about American and Texas exceptionalism’. This aligns with TPPF principles on curriculum and provides an opportunity to shape policy that limits foreign influence and strengthens civics instruction.
How to Support It
Submit written testimony by October 7 outlining principles for vetting school partners and strengthening civics education. Offer to provide research on these topics to the committee.
✅ Why It Matters: No fiscal note provided.
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TPPF is a conservative think tank whose mission is to promote and defend liberty, personal responsibility, and free enterprise in Texas and the nation.
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