The following is a collection of news and notes from your State Capitol involving issues that affect House District 32.
FOOD ALLERGY BILL PASSES OUT OF COMMITTEE
On April 12, House Bill (HB) 742 was heard and voted out unanimously by 8 ayes and 0 nays, by the House Committee on Public Education. In the months leading up to the start of the 82nd Legislative Session, I had the opportunity to meet with our local constituents Jessica Davila-Burnett and her husband Chris Burnett and discussed an issue that is very important to them both. Out of that meeting came HB 742. The purpose of HB 742 is to address the issue of children who have a food or severe food allergy and ways to keep them safe while they are attending school.
HB 742 indicates that upon enrollment that a parent or legal guardian disclose to the school district that a child has a food allergy or a severe food allergy. Many times food allergies create a safety concern for children. This bill would enable the district to take any necessary precautions regarding the child’s safety and to understand the food to which the child is allergic as well as the nature of the allergic reaction. HB 742 also requires a school district to maintain the confidentiality of such information and authorizes the district to disclose the information to teachers, school counselors, school nurses, and other appropriate school personnel only to the extent consistent with district policy and permissible under the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974.
In committee HB 742 received the support of the Texas Association of School Boards, the Texas Pediatric Society and the Texas Medical Association.
AGENCY SUNSET BILLS SEEK FAVORABLE HOUSE VOTES
In 1977, the Texas Legislature created the Sunset Advisory Commission to identify and eliminate waste, duplication, and inefficiency in the states government agencies. In order to maintain an efficient and fiscally responsive government, state agencies are required to undergo this sunset review process approximately every twelve years. Once the sunset review process is done, state agencies are then required to be approved by the Texas Legislature in order to continue functioning.
On April 15th, three of the state’s agencies went before the Texas House seeking the votes necessary to continue operations. One of those agencies was the Office of Injured Employee Counsel (OIEC) under the workers’ compensation program. The OIEC represents the interests of workers’ compensation claimants by assisting unrepresented injured employees in navigating the Division of Workers’ Compensation’s dispute resolution process, as well as advocating on behalf of injured employees as a class in rulemaking and judicial proceedings. The OIEC received the necessary votes by the House to pass second reading and will likely be sent to the Texas Senate this week.
As the weeks go on, numerous other state agencies will go before the Texas House and Texas Senate. In fact on April 19th, one of our state’s largest agencies will go before the Texas House. This agency is the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).
In order to help you follow any of the bills that have already been reported out of committee or any of those up for sunset this session, these websites serve as a great resource:
• The Texas Legislature
• The Texas House of Representatives
• The Texas Senate
• Sunset Advisory Commission
If you have questions or comments regarding any of the information mentioned in this article or any bills which have been filed, please do not hesitate to call my Capitol or District Office. As always, my offices are available at any time to assist with questions, concerns or comments (Capitol Office, 512-463-0672; District Office, 361-949-4603).
