HB 5608
bill making colleges accept an IEP as disability proof
Died in committee
Verdict: No flags
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 certain requirements regarding persons with disabilities enrolled in public institutions of higher education.
Caption from analyzed text · version I.
Summary
A Section 504 plan, diagnosis or military disability works too.
The bill orders the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to adopt rules requiring public colleges and universities to accept certain documents, such as a high school IEP, a Section 504 plan, a doctor's diagnosis, another college's disability record, or a military service-related disability, as proof that a student has a disability. It touches students with disabilities, their parents and faculty, and the disability offices at public institutions of higher education. Colleges can no longer demand fresh testing when a student already has one of the listed records, and they must post their accommodation policies online and explain them at student orientation, starting September 1, 2025.
Labels
Labels: NEVER GOT A HEARING. Filed Mar 14, 2025 and referred to the House Higher Education committee. No public hearing. The bill died.
Receipt
The receipt
89R-HB5608 · 2025-03-14
SOLD BY
ITEM
relating to certain requirements regarding persons with disabilities enrolled in public institutions of higher education.
WHAT IT DOES
A Section 504 plan, diagnosis or military disability works too.
The bill orders the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to adopt rules requiring public colleges and universities to accept certain documents, such as a high school IEP, a Section 504 plan, a doctor's diagnosis, another college's disability record, or a military service-related disability, as proof that a student has a disability. It touches students with disabilities, their parents and faculty, and the disability offices at public institutions of higher education. Colleges can no longer demand fresh testing when a student already has one of the listed records, and they must post their accommodation policies online and explain them at student orientation, starting September 1, 2025.
CHARGES
[ ] NONE FOUND
TOTAL
No fiscal note in the loaded record.
HISTORY
- Filed
- Read first time
- Referred to Higher Education
FILED UNDER
No verified beat found.
THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT
CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY
CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY
Donors
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 24, 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.
Missing data does not establish zero giving. Display amounts are rounded.
Votes
No floor vote loaded for this bill.
Fiscal
No fiscal note in the loaded record.
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 Mar 14, 2025
04/07/2025 H Referred to Higher Education: Apr 7 2025 5:28PM
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 · Higher Education · Final status: Died in committee
Subjects
Disabilities, Persons with
Education--Higher--Institutions & Programs
HIGHER EDUCATION COORDINATING BOARD, TEXAS
Text
The text as introduced · 380 words
89R17071 AND-F By: Goodwin H.B. No. 5608 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT relating to certain requirements regarding persons with disabilities enrolled in public institutions of higher education. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding Section 61.06642 to read as follows: Sec. 61.06642. DOCUMENTATION REGARDING AND INFORMATION ON ACCOMMODATIONS FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES. (a) The board shall adopt rules requiring institutions of higher education to accept as proof that a person is a person with a disability documentation of: (1) an individualized education program developed for the person in accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. Section 1400 et seq.); (2) services or accommodations provided to the person by a primary or secondary school in accordance with Section 504, Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. Section 794); (3) a plan or record of service from a private school, a public school, a state educational agency, or an institution of higher education prepared for the person in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. Section 12101 et seq.); (4) a diagnosis or finding of a disability from a licensed physician or other appropriate medical professional; (5) a plan or other record related to the person's disability from another institution of higher education or a private or independent institution of higher education; or (6) the person's service-related disability based on the person's service in the armed forces of the United States, the Texas Army National Guard, or the Texas Air National Guard. (b) The rules adopted under this section may provide for an institution of higher education to establish less burdensome options for documentation with which a person may establish that the person is a person with a disability. (c) The rules adopted under this section must require institutions of higher education to: (1) provide specific and transparent information about the institution's policies and procedures for determining the accommodations available to persons with disabilities; and (2) make the institution's policies and procedures described by Subdivision (1) available to students, parents, and faculty, including by providing the information during any student orientation and on the institution's publicly accessible Internet website. SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.