Bill Text: TX SB1154 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to the establishment by regional education service centers of regional school district health coverage advisory committees.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-03-09 - Referred to Education [SB1154 Detail]
Download: Texas-2023-SB1154-Introduced.html
88R8781 PRL-D | ||
By: Hughes | S.B. No. 1154 |
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relating to the establishment by regional education service centers | ||
of regional school district health coverage advisory committees. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Chapter 8, Education Code, is amended by adding | ||
Subchapter F to read as follows: | ||
SUBCHAPTER F. REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT HEALTH COVERAGE ADVISORY | ||
COMMITTEES | ||
Sec. 8.201. DEFINITION. In this subchapter, "advisory | ||
committee" means a regional school district health coverage | ||
advisory committee established under this subchapter. | ||
Sec. 8.202. ESTABLISHMENT. The executive director of each | ||
regional education service center shall establish a regional school | ||
district health coverage advisory committee to study health | ||
coverage options available to employees of school districts served | ||
by that service center. | ||
Sec. 8.203. COMPOSITION. An advisory committee is composed | ||
of nine members appointed by the executive director of each | ||
regional education service center as follows: | ||
(1) three members who are superintendents employed by | ||
a school district served by the center; | ||
(2) three members who are classroom teachers employed | ||
by a school district served by the center; and | ||
(3) three members who are parents of students | ||
attending schools in school districts served by the center. | ||
Sec. 8.204. TERM OF OFFICE; REAPPOINTMENT. (a) Members of | ||
an advisory committee serve staggered two-year terms, with the | ||
terms of four members expiring January 1 of each even-numbered year | ||
and the terms of five members expiring January 1 of each | ||
odd-numbered year. | ||
(b) A person appointed to an advisory committee may be | ||
reappointed to that committee. | ||
Sec. 8.205. REMOVAL FOR CAUSE. An advisory committee | ||
member may be removed for cause by a majority vote of the remaining | ||
members of the committee. | ||
Sec. 8.206. VACANCY. The executive director of a regional | ||
education service center shall fill a vacancy on an advisory | ||
committee not later than two months after the date the vacancy | ||
occurs. | ||
Sec. 8.207. STUDY. An advisory committee shall annually | ||
conduct a study of health coverage options available to employees | ||
of school districts served by the committee's regional education | ||
service center. The study must include, with respect to school | ||
districts in that committee's region, an assessment of health | ||
coverage plans, including cooperative health care programs, that | ||
are available on the open market or through self-funding of school | ||
district health care expenses, including for each plan: | ||
(1) the amount that would be paid by a district and | ||
district employees for premium under the plan; | ||
(2) the schedule of benefits available under the plan; | ||
and | ||
(3) whether, in obtaining the plan, some or all of the | ||
districts in the region should jointly seek health coverage under | ||
that plan as a group. | ||
Sec. 8.208. REPORT. (a) Not later than September 15 of | ||
each year, an advisory committee shall submit to the executive | ||
director of the committee's regional education service center a | ||
written report detailing the committee's findings from the study | ||
conducted under Section 8.207. The report must include: | ||
(1) recommendations regarding the best available | ||
health care plans; and | ||
(2) an assessment of the costs and services associated | ||
with each available plan. | ||
(b) Not later than October 15 of each year, the executive | ||
director of each regional education service center shall provide | ||
each board of trustees and superintendent of a school district | ||
served by the center the report submitted under Subsection (a) in an | ||
electronic format. If an advisory committee report recommends | ||
entering into a cooperative health purchasing arrangement, the | ||
executive director of that regional education service center shall | ||
include in the report provided under this subsection information | ||
regarding methods by which the center could enter into the | ||
cooperative health purchasing arrangement. | ||
(c) The executive director of each regional education | ||
service center shall schedule at least one in-person meeting with | ||
the superintendents of school districts served by the center to | ||
discuss the findings and recommendations included in an advisory | ||
committee report provided under this section. | ||
SECTION 2. (a) Not later than January 1, 2024, each | ||
executive director of a regional education service center shall | ||
appoint the members of the center's regional school district health | ||
coverage advisory committee, as required by Section 8.203, | ||
Education Code, as added by this Act. | ||
(b) Notwithstanding Section 8.204, Education Code, as added | ||
by this Act, in making the initial appointments under Subsection | ||
(a), the executive director of a regional education service center | ||
shall designate four members appointed to the center's regional | ||
school district health coverage advisory committee to serve terms | ||
expiring January 1, 2026, and five members to serve terms expiring | ||
January 1, 2025. | ||
SECTION 3. 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, 2023. |