The Senate Education Committee met briefly the morning of Thursday, May 4, 2023, to hear its first round of House bills and vote on pending business. The committee heard eight bills in total, including seven House bills and one Senate bill. 

ATPE supported House Bill (HB) 2484 by Rep. Ryan Guillen (R–Rio Grande City), which would ban a spectator from UIL events if they assault a sports official. The bill would require a district to provide a police officer or other security personnel to ensure the safety of the official. 

ATPE also supported HB 2871 by Rep. Mary Gonzalez (D–Clint), which would create a program for computer science education capacity promotion at the University of Texas. The program would support and streamline computer science education and professional development for educators. The bill includes stipends for educators who complete related professional development or obtain related accreditation or certification. 

You can see the rest of the bills on Thursday’s agenda here. 

As of Thursday, the Senate had referred 47 House bills to its education committee. With three weeks left in the regular session, the full Senate has sent just two House bills to the governor.