Curry School Districts Bill Repeals Road Districts’ Newspaper Rule Too

The text as introduced · 479 words

By: Curry
H.B. No. 4571

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to eliminating redundant or unnecessary requirements

placed on school districts.

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

SECTION 1. Section 140.006, Local Government Code, is

repealed.

Sec. 140.006. PUBLICATION OF ANNUAL FINANCIAL STATEMENT BY

ROAD [ SCHOOL, ROAD, ] OR OTHER DISTRICT. (a) Except as provided by

Subsection (d) [ Subsections (c} and (e) ], the presiding officer of

a governing body shall submit a financial statement prepared under

Section 140.005 to a newspaper in each county in which the district

or any part of the district is located.

(b) If a district is located in more than one county, the

financial statement may be published in a newspaper that has

general circulation in the district. If a newspaper is not

published in the county, the financial statement may be published

in a newspaper in an adjoining county.

[ (c) The presiding officer of a school district shall submit

a financial statement prepared under Section 140.005 to a daily,

weekly, or biweekly newspaper published within the boundaries of

the district. If a daily, weekly, or biweekly newspaper is not

published within the boundaries of the school district, the

financial statement shall be published in the manner provided by

Subsections (a) and (b). The governing body of an open-enrollment

charter school shall take action to ensure that the school's

financial statement is made available in the manner provided by

Chapter 552, Government Code, and is posted continuously on the

school's Internet website. ]

(c) [ (d) ] A statement shall be published not later than two

months after the date the fiscal year ends[ , except that a school

district's statement shall be published not later than the 150th

day after the date the fiscal year ends and in accordance with the

accounting method required by the Texas Education Agency ].

(d) [ (e) ] This section does not apply to :

(1) a school district;

(2) an open-enrolment charter school; or

(3) an entity created under Section 52, Article III,

or Section 59, Article XVI, Texas Constitution.

SECTION 2. Chapter 140, Local Government Code, is amended

by adding Section 140.0065, to read as follows:

Sec. 140.0065. PUBLICATION OF ANNUAL FINANCIAL STATEMENT BY

OPEN-ENROLMENT CHARTER SCHOOL. The governing body of an

open-enrollment charter school shall take action to ensure that the

school's financial statement is made available in the manner

provided by Chapter 552, Government Code, and is posted

continuously on the school's Internet website.

SECTION 3. Section 31.105(c), Education Code, is repealed.

SECTION 4. 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.