Grassroots Priorities 2.0

HB7

In Calendar Committee
Authored by Jeff Leach (R)
View at Source

Caption: Relating to parental rights in public education and to the reporting of certain misconduct and child abuse and neglect; authorizing an administrative penalty; creating criminal offenses.
Initially Referred to House Public Education Committee, chaired by a Republican
This bill would cost taxpayers $32,318,017.00 over five years, according to the Legislative Budget Bureau.

RPT Priority #3: Stop Sexualizing Texas’ Kids OPPOSED

Christin Bentley:
"HB 7 allows school districts to continue to investigate themselves and codifies into Texas law a broken grievance system that denies parents due process, including when accusations of serious educator misconduct and non-compliance to education code are made. All accusations of illegal misconduct must be reported to outside law enforcement, which is missing from HB 7. Parents should be able to seek due process through district courts when laws are broken and the school district does not make satisfactory remedies in a reasonable amount of time. HB 7 drastically expands the Texas Education Agency’s bureaucratic rule making authority. HB7 undermines parental rights in education, codifying into Texas law a system that lacks due process and independent oversight."

Co-authors: Barry (R); Darby (R); Lujan (R); Metcalf (R)

Mar 14, 2025

(H) Leach signed onto the bill as Author
(H) Filed
(H) Read first time
(H) Referred to the House Public Education, chaired by a Republican

Mar 25, 2025

(H) Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
(H) Considered in public hearing
(H) Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
(H) Left pending in committee

Apr 22, 2025

(H) Lujan signed onto the bill as Coauthor

Apr 25, 2025

(H) Metcalf signed onto the bill as Coauthor

May 1, 2025

(H) Considered in formal meeting
(H) Committee substitute considered in committee
(H) Reported favorably as substituted

May 8, 2025

(H) Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator
(H) Committee report distributed

May 9, 2025

(H) Committee report sent to Calendars

Jun 2, 2025

(H) Barry signed onto the bill as Coauthor
(H) Darby signed onto the bill as Coauthor

Lobbying Against/For/On This Bill

Against

(Tue 3/25/2025) Testifying before H Public Education as Aileen Blachowski for self (with Texas Ed 911)
(Tue 3/25/2025) Testifying before H Public Education as Alice Linahan for self
(Tue 3/25/2025) Testifying before H Public Education as Callie McDonald for self
(Tue 3/25/2025) Testifying before H Public Education as Tami Brown Rodriquez for self (with Jaco Booyens Ministries)
(Tue 3/25/2025) Testifying before H Public Education as Timothy Woolsey for self
(Tue 3/25/2025) Testifying before H Public Education as Zenobia Joseph for self
(Tue 3/25/2025) Registering before H Public Education as Amanda Afifi for self (with Texas Association of School Psychologists (TASP))
(Tue 3/25/2025) Registering before H Public Education as Carrie Griffith for Texas State Teachers Association (TSTA)
(Tue 3/25/2025) Registering before H Public Education as Charlie Gagen for American Lung Association
(Tue 3/25/2025) Registering before H Public Education as Cindi Castilla for self (with Texas Eagle Forum)
(Tue 3/25/2025) Registering before H Public Education as Deborah Avellano for self
(Tue 3/25/2025) Registering before H Public Education as Fran Rhodes for self (with True Texas Project)
(Tue 3/25/2025) Registering before H Public Education as Julie McCarty for self (with True Texas Project)
(Tue 3/25/2025) Registering before H Public Education as Melodia Gutierrez for self (with Human Rights Campaign)
(Tue 3/25/2025) Registering before H Public Education as Paige Williams for Texas Classroom Teachers Association
(Tue 3/25/2025) Registering before H Public Education as Patty Quinzi for Texas American Federation of Teachers (AFT)

For

(Tue 3/25/2025) Testifying before H Public Education as Jennifer Allmon for Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops
(Tue 3/25/2025) Registering before H Public Education as John Litzler for Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission
(Tue 3/25/2025) Registering before H Public Education as Matt Long for self
(Tue 3/25/2025) Registering before H Public Education as Thomas Parkinson for self

(Tue 3/25/2025) Testifying before H Public Education as Anne Newman for self
(Tue 3/25/2025) Testifying before H Public Education as David Rodriguez for Texas Education Agency
(Tue 3/25/2025) Testifying before H Public Education as Jennifer Biundo for Healthy Futures of Texas
(Tue 3/25/2025) Testifying before H Public Education as Laura Colangelo for Texas Private Schools Association
(Tue 3/25/2025) Testifying before H Public Education as Lee Spiller for Citizens Commission on Human Rights Texas
(Tue 3/25/2025) Testifying before H Public Education as Noah Jones for Texas Counseling Association
(Tue 3/25/2025) Testifying before H Public Education as Sarah Wolfe for Texas Education Agency
(Tue 3/25/2025) Testifying before H Public Education as Shane Linkous for State Office of Administrative Hearings
(Tue 3/25/2025) Testifying before H Public Education as Tricia Cave for Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE)
(Tue 3/25/2025) Testifying before H Public Education as Von Byer for Texas Education Agency
(Tue 3/25/2025) Registering before H Public Education as Andrea Chevalier for Texas Council of Administrators of Special Education (TCASE)
(Tue 3/25/2025) Registering before H Public Education as Bryan Mares for National Association of Social Workers (NASW)
(Tue 3/25/2025) Registering before H Public Education as Kelvey Oeser for Texas Education Agency
(Tue 3/25/2025) Registering before H Public Education as Lauren Rose for The Cove - Heart of Texas - Texas Network of Youth Services (TNOYS)
(Tue 3/25/2025) Registering before H Public Education as Steve Swanson for self
(Tue 3/25/2025) Registering before H Public Education as Steven Aleman for Disability Rights Texas