Monitoring the Session

HB 1317

bill sends school ratings lawsuits to a three-judge court

Died in committee

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review
Rep. Alan SchoolcraftRHouse 44

Initial review · graded Oct 20, 2026 · Headline, summary and grade are analysis of the bill text, not a finding about any person · How we grade

Caption

relating to authorizing the attorney general to petition the chief justice of the supreme court to convene a special three-judge district court in certain circumstances.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

The attorney general gets to ask for it.

The bill lets the attorney general move lawsuits that challenge the state's school accountability ratings system into a special three-judge district court, adding them to the existing list that already covers school finance, school operations and redistricting suits. It touches school districts, parents and others who sue the state or its agencies over accountability ratings, and it touches the attorney general and the chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court. Once the attorney general files a petition, the local district court case freezes and the chief justice must transfer it to a three-judge panel.

Labels

Labels: PENDING FOREVER. Heard by the House Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence committee on Apr 2, 2025 and left pending. Never voted out. The bill died.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-HB1317 · 2024-11-14

SOLD BY

Rep. Alan SchoolcraftRHouse 44

ITEM

relating to authorizing the attorney general to petition the chief justice of the supreme court to convene a special three-judge district court in certain circumstances.

WHAT IT DOES

The attorney general gets to ask for it.

The bill lets the attorney general move lawsuits that challenge the state's school accountability ratings system into a special three-judge district court, adding them to the existing list that already covers school finance, school operations and redistricting suits. It touches school districts, parents and others who sue the state or its agencies over accountability ratings, and it touches the attorney general and the chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court. Once the attorney general files a petition, the local district court case freezes and the chief justice must transfer it to a three-judge panel.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version I · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version I · March 31, 2025

No first-year general revenue figure available here.

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

HISTORY

  1. Filed
  2. Read first time
  3. Referred to Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence
  4. Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
  5. Considered in public hearing
  6. Committee substitute considered in committee
  7. Left pending in committee
FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Alan Schoolcraft

Donors

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$55KTexas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$13KDustin Burrows Campaign$10K

Not tied to this bill.

Sources

The author's campaign account only. Own money and internal transfers are separate on the member page.

Derived itemized flow · Oct 28, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$55,250.00

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$55,250.00

Cash
$55,000.00
Paid by others
$250.00
Total
$55,250.00
fundraiser $250.00

Also funds 124 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 10, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Oct 30, 2024 to Dec 17, 2025. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100986880, 101012418, 101032822.

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$12,500.00

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$12,500.00

Cash
$12,500.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$12,500.00

Also funds 137 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 24, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Nov 27, 2024 to Aug 21, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100986880, 101068954.

Dustin Burrows Campaign$10,000.00

Dustin Burrows Campaign

$10,000.00

Cash
$10,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$10,000.00

Also funds 39 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Sep 13, 2025 to Sep 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Name match, not a verified identity: normalized filed name and state.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · on Feb 10, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101041197.

Money

Missing data does not establish zero giving. Display amounts are rounded.

×

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$55,250.00

Cash
$55,000.00
Paid by others
$250.00
Total
$55,250.00
fundraiser $250.00

Also funds 124 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 10, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Oct 30, 2024 to Dec 17, 2025. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100986880, 101012418, 101032822.

×

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$12,500.00

Cash
$12,500.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$12,500.00

Also funds 137 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 24, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Nov 27, 2024 to Aug 21, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100986880, 101068954.

×

Dustin Burrows Campaign

$10,000.00

Cash
$10,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$10,000.00

Also funds 39 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Sep 13, 2025 to Sep 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Name match, not a verified identity: normalized filed name and state.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · on Feb 10, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101041197.

Votes

No floor vote loaded for this bill.

Fiscal

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version I · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version I · March 31, 2025

No first-year general revenue figure available here.

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

How this was graded

Analysis of text version I by claude-opus-5-5, Oct 20, 2026, against the published rubric.

Sources

Texas House · Filed Nov 14, 2024

04/02/2025 H Left pending in committee

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced

Data snapshot Oct 26, 2026 at 4:20 AM CDT. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.

House committee · Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence · Final status: Died in committee

Subjects

Courts--District

Education--Primary & Secondary--Accountability

Education--Primary & Secondary--Finance

ATTORNEY GENERAL

SUPREME COURT

Text

The text as introduced · 305 words

By: Schoolcraft
H.B. No. 1317

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to authorizing the attorney general to petition the chief

justice of the supreme court to convene a special three-judge

district court in certain circumstances.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

Section 22A.001, Government Code, is amended by amending

Subsection (a) to read as follows:

Sec. 22A.001. ELIGIBLE PROCEEDINGS. (a) The attorney

general may petition the chief justice of the supreme court to

convene a special three-judge district court in any suit filed in a

district court in this state in which this state or a state officer

or agency is a defendant in a claim that:

(1) challenges the finances or operations of this

state's public school system , including a challenge to

accountability under Chapter 39, Subchapters C, D, and F, Education

Code ; or

(2) involves the apportionment of districts for the

house of representatives, the senate, the State Board of Education,

or the United States Congress, or state judicial districts.

(b) A petition filed by the attorney general under this

section stays all proceedings in the district court in which the

original case was filed until the chief justice of the supreme court

acts on the petition.

(c) Within a reasonable time after receipt of a petition

from the attorney general under Subsection (a), the chief justice

of the supreme court shall grant the petition and issue an order

transferring the case to a special three-judge district court

convened as provided by Section 22A.002.

SECTION 8. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives

a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as

provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this

Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this

Act takes effect September 1, 2025.