Monitoring the Session

SB 2617

Creighton’s bill requiring AD and BC in schools

Died in committee

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review
Sen. Brandon CreightonRSenate 4

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 a policy adopted by a school district or open-enrollment charter school regarding the expression of dates.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

BCE and CE are out. Curriculum too.

The bill orders every Texas school district and open-enrollment charter school board to adopt a policy requiring teachers to use AD and BC when expressing dates during instruction. It also bars those districts and charter schools from buying or selecting curriculum materials that express dates any other way, such as BCE and CE. It applies starting with the 2025-2026 school year, so classroom date language and textbook purchasing decisions change right away.

Labels

Labels: GOT HALFWAY. Passed the Senate on May 19, 2025. Died in the House: never got out of the Public Education committee.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-SB2617 · 2025-03-13

SOLD BY

Sen. Brandon CreightonRSenate 4

+ 3 coauthors

ITEM

relating to a policy adopted by a school district or open-enrollment charter school regarding the expression of dates.

WHAT IT DOES

BCE and CE are out. Curriculum too.

The bill orders every Texas school district and open-enrollment charter school board to adopt a policy requiring teachers to use AD and BC when expressing dates during instruction. It also bars those districts and charter schools from buying or selecting curriculum materials that express dates any other way, such as BCE and CE. It applies starting with the 2025-2026 school year, so classroom date language and textbook purchasing decisions change right away.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version S · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version S · May 6, 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. Received by the Secretary of the Senate
  2. Filed
  3. Read first time
  4. Referred to Education K-16
  5. Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
  6. Considered in public hearing
  7. Testimony taken in committee
  8. Left pending in committee
  9. Co-author authorized
  10. Considered in public hearing
  11. Vote taken in committee
  12. Reported favorably as substituted
  13. Committee report printed and distributed
  14. Placed on intent calendar
  15. Rules suspended-Regular order of business
  16. Record vote
  17. Read 2nd time & passed to engrossment
  18. Record vote
  19. Co-author authorized
  20. Rules suspended-Regular order of business
  21. Record vote
  22. Read 3rd time
  23. Passed
  24. Record vote
  25. Reported engrossed
  26. Received from the Senate
  27. Read first time
  28. Referred to Public Education
FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

SIGNED FOR BY

Senate · 23 yea · 8 nay

Sources

Senate: Final passage · May 19, 2025. Journal. Published stock for this vote. Snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

All floor motions and other positions below.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Brandon Creighton

Donors

Donors report through Friends of Brandon Creighton.

Not tied to this bill.

Sources

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

$0 raised since Jul 1, 2024. Derived sum of published report totals. blank in the state's data, consistent with zero. Flow, Jul 1, 2024 through Jun 30, 2026. State filing data as of Nov 4, 2026. 4 of 4 filed reports carry a published figure.

Report 101060909: Published total from the filed report. Retrieved Oct 29, 2026. Filed report 101060909

$0 spent Jan 1, 2026 to Jun 30, 2026. Published total from the filed report. Flow, Jan 1, 2026 through Jun 30, 2026. State filing data as of Nov 4, 2026. 1 of 1 filed reports carry a published figure.

Report 101060909: Published total from the filed report. Retrieved Oct 29, 2026. Filed report 101060909

$0 cash on hand. Published report total. Stock, as of Jun 30, 2026. State filing data as of Nov 4, 2026.

$0 loans outstanding. Published report total. Stock, as of Jun 30, 2026. State filing data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived sum of itemized contributions in regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Unitemized contributions are not included. Flow, Jul 1, 2024 through Jun 30, 2026. State filing data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Money

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

Votes4

Senate May 19, 2025

Yea
23
Nay
8
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
0
Excused
0
Names

Named positions matched to lawmakers. See the journal for unmatched names.

Senate journal

Sources

The bill was read third time and was passed by the following vote: Yeas 23, Nays 8. (Same as previous roll call)

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: 23 (published)
  • Nay: 8 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: 0 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 0 (derived from named list)

Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate May 19, 2025

Yea
23
Nay
8
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
0
Excused
0
Names

Named positions matched to lawmakers. See the journal for unmatched names.

Senate journal

Sources

Senator Creighton moved to suspend the regular order of business to take up for consideration CSSB 2617 at this time on its third reading and final passage: CSSB 2617, Relating to a policy adopted by a school district or open-enrollment charter school regarding the expression of dates. The motion prevailed by the following vote: Yeas 23, Nays 8.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: 23 (published)
  • Nay: 8 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: 0 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 0 (derived from named list)

Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate May 15, 2025

Yea
22
Nay
9
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
0
Excused
0
Names

Named positions matched to lawmakers. See the journal for unmatched names.

Senate journal

Sources

The bill was read second time and was passed to engrossment by the following vote: Yeas 22, Nays 9. (Same as previous roll call)

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: 22 (published)
  • Nay: 9 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: 0 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 0 (derived from named list)

Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate May 15, 2025

Yea
22
Nay
9
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
0
Excused
0
Names

Named positions matched to lawmakers. See the journal for unmatched names.

Senate journal

Sources

Senator Creighton moved to suspend the regular order of business to take up for consideration CSSB 2617 at this time on its second reading: CSSB 2617, Relating to a policy adopted by a school district or open-enrollment charter school regarding the expression of dates. The motion prevailed by the following vote: Yeas 22, Nays 9.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: 22 (published)
  • Nay: 9 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: 0 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 0 (derived from named list)

Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Witnesses25
For
1
Against
23
On
1
Names

For

  • Self; Texas Eagle Forum1 registration

Against

  • Self21 registrations
  • Self; Texas Freedom Network1 registration
  • Texas State Teachers Association1 registration

On

  • Texas Education Agency1 registration
Sources

25 parsed registrations across the loaded witness lists.

Derived stock of witness registrations. Repeated appearances count separately. Organizations and self-representation appear as printed.

Senate witness list. Source snapshot 2026-10-20, Central time.

Fiscal

No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version S · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version S · May 6, 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 Senate · Filed Mar 13, 2025

05/21/2025 H Referred to Public Education: May 21 2025 11:24AM

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced · Senate Committee Report · Engrossed

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

Coauthors
Donna CampbellRSenate 25 Adam HinojosaRSenate 27 Bryan HughesRSenate 1

House committee · Public Education · Final status: Died in committee

Senate committee · Education K-16 · Committee vote 9 aye, 2 nay · Out of committee

Subjects

Education--Primary & Secondary--Charter Schools

Education--Primary & Secondary--Curriculum

Education--School Districts

Religion

Text

The text as introduced · 203 words

89R16123 GP-D

By: Creighton
S.B. No. 2617

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to a policy adopted by a school district or

open-enrollment charter school regarding the expression of dates.

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

SECTION 1. Subchapter Z, Chapter 29, Education Code, is

amended by adding Section 29.935 to read as follows:

Sec. 29.935. EXPRESSION OF DATES. (a) The board of

trustees of a school district or the governing body of an

open-enrollment charter school shall adopt a policy requiring the

use of the terms Anno Domini (AD) and Before Christ (BC) when

expressing dates during student instruction.

(b) A school district or open-enrollment charter school may

not purchase or select curriculum materials for the district's or

school's curriculum that express dates in a manner inconsistent

with the policy adopted under Subsection (a).

SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with the 2025-2026

school year.

SECTION 3. 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.