Bill Text: TX HB4560 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to the salary, wages, and reimbursement paid to public school employees and state assistance for school employees uniform group health coverage; making an appropriation.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-03-26 - Referred to Public Education [HB4560 Detail]
Download: Texas-2019-HB4560-Introduced.html
86R13096 MEW-D | ||
By: Turner of Tarrant | H.B. No. 4560 |
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relating to the salary, wages, and reimbursement paid to public | ||
school employees and state assistance for school employees uniform | ||
group health coverage; making an appropriation. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Section 21.402, Education Code, is amended by | ||
adding Subsections (c-2), (c-3), and (d) and amending Subsection | ||
(g) to read as follows: | ||
(c-2) Notwithstanding Subsection (a), for the 2019-2020 | ||
school year, a classroom teacher, full-time librarian, full-time | ||
school counselor certified under Subchapter B, or full-time school | ||
nurse is entitled to a monthly salary that is at least equal to the | ||
sum of: | ||
(1) the monthly salary the employee would have | ||
received for the 2019-2020 school year under the district's salary | ||
schedule for the 2018-2019 school year, if that schedule had been in | ||
effect for the 2019-2020 school year, including any local | ||
supplement and any money representing a career ladder supplement | ||
the employee would have received in the 2019-2020 school year; and | ||
(2) $300. | ||
(c-3) Subsection (c-2) and this subsection expire September | ||
1, 2020. | ||
(d) A classroom teacher, full-time librarian, full-time | ||
school counselor certified under Subchapter B, or full-time school | ||
nurse employed by a school district in the 2019-2020 school year is, | ||
as long as the employee is employed by the same district, entitled | ||
to a salary that is at least equal to the salary the employee | ||
received for the 2019-2020 school year. | ||
(g) The commissioner may adopt rules to govern the | ||
application of this section, including rules that: | ||
(1) require the payment of a minimum salary under this | ||
section to a person employed in more than one capacity for which a | ||
minimum salary is provided and whose combined employment in those | ||
capacities constitutes full-time employment; and | ||
(2) specify the credentials a person must hold to be | ||
considered a [ |
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section. | ||
SECTION 2. Subchapter I, Chapter 21, Education Code, is | ||
amended by adding Section 21.416 to read as follows: | ||
Sec. 21.416. CLASSROOM SUPPLY REIMBURSEMENT. (a) For the | ||
2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years, a school district shall | ||
provide a reimbursement to each classroom teacher employed by the | ||
district of up to $500 for the cost of classroom supplies purchased | ||
by the teacher with the teacher's personal money for the benefit of | ||
students. | ||
(b) A classroom teacher may be reimbursed under the | ||
classroom supply reimbursement program established under Section | ||
21.414 for the cost of purchases eligible for reimbursement under | ||
that section for which the teacher is not reimbursed under | ||
Subsection (a). | ||
(c) This section expires September 1, 2021. | ||
SECTION 3. Section 22.107(a), Education Code, is amended to | ||
read as follows: | ||
(a) A school district shall pay each full-time district | ||
employee, other than an administrator or an employee subject to the | ||
minimum salary schedule under Section 21.402, an amount at least | ||
equal to $3,500 [ |
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SECTION 4. Section 42.2513(a), Education Code, is amended | ||
to read as follows: | ||
(a) A school district, including a school district that is | ||
otherwise ineligible for state aid under this chapter, is entitled | ||
to state aid in an amount equal to the sum of: | ||
(1) the product of $3,500 [ |
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number of full-time district employees, other than administrators | ||
or employees subject to the minimum salary schedule under Section | ||
21.402; [ |
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(2) the product of $3,000 multiplied by the number of | ||
classroom teachers, full-time librarians, full-time school | ||
counselors certified under Subchapter B, Chapter 21, and full-time | ||
school nurses employed by the district; and | ||
(3) the product of $250 multiplied by the number of | ||
part-time district employees, other than administrators. | ||
SECTION 5. Section 42.260(c), Education Code, is amended to | ||
read as follows: | ||
(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of this code, a | ||
school district or participating charter school may use the sum of | ||
the following amounts of funds only to pay contributions under a | ||
group health coverage plan for district or school employees: | ||
(1) the amount determined by multiplying the amount | ||
of $2,100 [ |
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Appropriations Act for that year for purposes of the state | ||
contribution under Section 1579.251, Insurance Code, by the number | ||
of district or school employees who participate in a group health | ||
coverage plan provided by or through the district or school; and | ||
(2) the difference between the amount necessary for | ||
the district or school to comply with Section 1581.052, Insurance | ||
Code, for the school year and the amount the district or school is | ||
required to use to provide health coverage under Section 1581.051, | ||
Insurance Code, for that year. | ||
SECTION 6. Section 1579.251, Insurance Code, is amended to | ||
read as follows: | ||
Sec. 1579.251. STATE ASSISTANCE. (a) The state shall | ||
assist employees of participating school districts and charter | ||
schools in the purchase of group health coverage under this chapter | ||
by providing for each covered employee the amount of $2,100 [ |
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each state fiscal year or a greater amount as provided by the | ||
General Appropriations Act. The state contribution shall be | ||
distributed through the school finance formulas under Chapters 41 | ||
and 42, Education Code, and used by school districts and charter | ||
schools as provided by Section 42.260, Education Code. | ||
(b) The state shall assist employees of participating | ||
regional education service centers and educational districts | ||
described by Section 1579.002(5)(B) in the purchase of group health | ||
coverage under this chapter by providing to the employing service | ||
center or educational district, for each covered employee, the | ||
amount of $2,100 [ |
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as provided by the General Appropriations Act. | ||
SECTION 7. (a) In addition to other amounts appropriated to | ||
the Teacher Retirement System of Texas for the state fiscal | ||
biennium beginning September 1, 2019, the amount of $1.57 billion | ||
is appropriated from the economic stabilization fund to the Teacher | ||
Retirement System of Texas for the state fiscal biennium ending | ||
August 31, 2021, and may be used by the retirement system during | ||
that state fiscal biennium to increase school districts' | ||
recruitment and retention of school teachers and provide support to | ||
participants in the Texas Public School Employees Group Insurance | ||
Program authorized by Chapter 1575, Insurance Code. | ||
(b) The Teacher Retirement System of Texas may use the money | ||
transferred under Subsection (a) of this section to: | ||
(1) decrease the premiums and deductibles that would | ||
otherwise be paid during the 2020 and 2021 plan years by | ||
participants in the Texas Public School Employees Group Insurance | ||
Program authorized by Chapter 1575, Insurance Code; and | ||
(2) reduce costs for an enrolled adult child with a | ||
mental disability or a physical incapacity during the 2020 and 2021 | ||
plan years. | ||
(c) The Teacher Retirement System of Texas shall determine | ||
the most efficient allocation of the money transferred under | ||
Subsection (a) of this section to achieve the maximum benefit for | ||
participants in the program. | ||
(d) This section takes effect only if this Act is approved | ||
by a vote of two-thirds of the members present in each house of the | ||
legislature, as provided by Section 49-g(m), Article III, Texas | ||
Constitution. | ||
SECTION 8. Section 21.402(c-1), Education Code, is | ||
repealed. | ||
SECTION 9. This Act applies beginning with the 2019-2020 | ||
school year. | ||
SECTION 10. Except as otherwise provided by this Act, this | ||
Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |