Senate Bill (SB) 11 by Sen. Robert Nichols (R-Jacksonville) was the Senate school safety bill. The legislation included funding for school safety and measures designed to crack down on truancy. It would have created a statewide school safety office and mandated more communication between school districts about students’ disciplinary records.
House Bill (HB) 3 by Rep. Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock) is another school safety bill that included funding for additional school security infrastructure and training for school employees who wish to become armed campus guards.
While the Senate’s version included funding for school safety, it did not include HB 3’s requirement for an armed guard at every public school campus in the state.
HB 3 is currently in a conference committee composed of Burrows and Reps. Greg Bonnen (R-Friendswood), Ken King (R-Canadian), Tracy O. King (D-Uvalde), and Joe Moody (D-El Paso).
Another priority item, SB 21, would have given the State Commission on Judicial Conduct (SCJC) more authority to act against judges who are accused of abusing their authority to grant bail. According to the bill analysis, it would have included violations of statutory bail standards in the definition of “incompetency.”
SB 21 would have also provided more guidance and structure concerning the timeline by which the SCJC and its employees must act on complaints against judges.
The House scuttled the bill after Moody raised a point of order against its consideration.
Each chamber of the Legislature must pass the same version of a bill before it is sent to the governor for his decision. If the chambers do not agree, they can convene a conference committee to resolve their differences and reach a final draft.
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Hayden Sparks
Hayden Sparks is a senior reporter for The Texan and a lifelong resident of the Lone Star State. He has coached competitive speech and debate and has been involved in politics since a young age. One of Hayden's favorite quotes is by Sam Houston: "Texas has yet to learn submission to any oppression, come from what source it may."
