Article
The next legislative session of the Texas Legislature is set to begin January 13, 2015. The legislature meets in regular sessions every two years, beginning at noon on the second Tuesday of odd numbered years. A regular legislative session lasts for 140 consecutive days.
The incoming representatives and senators were able to begin filing legislation for the 84th session on November 10th. As of this writing, there have been 710 bills filed, a few of which I will discuss this week.
House Bill 183 would require all state agencies to participate in E-verify. The E-verify program is a federal program, operated by the Department of Homeland Security, that verifies the employment authorization status of newly-hired employees under the federal Immigration Reform and Control Act.
HB 223 would prohibit a school district from punishing a child in kindergarten-5th grade for brandishing a partially consumed pastry or other food item to simulate a firearm or weapon; possessing a toy firearm or weapon that is two inches or less in overall length; possessing a toy firearm or weapon made of plastic snap-together building blocks; using a finger or hand to represent a firearm or weapon; vocalizing an imaginary firearm or weapon; drawing a picture or possessing an image of a firearm or weapon; or pretending a crayon, pencil, pen, or other writing or drawing instrument is a firearm or weapon. A student could be punished if the aforementioned behavior disrupts learning, causes bodily harm to another person, or places another person in reasonable fear of bodily harm; the punishment must be proportionate to the severity of the action. This legislation is in response to incidents involving young children who were punished for imaginary gun play, most notably a child that was suspended after making a gun out of his half-eaten pop-tart.
I encourage you to log on to www.capitol.state.tx.us and to view the legislation that has already been pre-filed. Please contact me regarding any legislation of interest to you. You can contact me by writing to P.O. Box 2910, Austin, TX 78768-2910 or by e-mailing me at larry.phillips@house.state.tx.us.