79th Legislative Session

The 79th Legislative Session convened on Tuesday, January 11, 2005 and ran through Monday, May 30, 2005. The Texas Legislature faced difficult decisions and had to be strategic in how state dollars were spent in order to ensure that Texas communities get the most effective delivery of services. The great news is that an increasing number of our legislative leadership understands the importance of the earliest years in a child’s life as indicated by the approximate 50 early care and education bills filed this past session.  TECEC was excited to see so many bills filed relating to improving access to preschool programs, supporting coordination between services, promoting quality initiatives, reducing classroom size, increasing access to voluntary full day programs, and providing opportunities for parent involvement.

TECEC Legislative Agenda
TECEC developed a legislative agenda building from the work of legislation passed in 2003 and based on discussions that came out of the statewide Summit, community meetings, conference calls, and additional state and local events. Legislation was filed relating to each of the four TECEC Legislative Priorities. Below is a list of the TECEC Priorities, along with the final status of each:

TECEC PRIORITY: Expansion of the Texas Early Education Model (TEEM) Project
Legislation Filed: Senate Bill 23 (Zaffirini)
Status: Signed by the Governor on June 9, 2005; Effective September 1, 2005

TECEC PRIORITY: Financing: Early Education Blue Ribbon Committee
Legislation Filed: House Bill 2808 (Morrison)-Originally filed as HB2327, Villarreal
Status: Signed by the Governor on June 18, 2005; Effective on September 1, 2005

TECEC PRIORITY: Single Point of Access for Families
Legislation Filed: House Bill 2048 (Uresti)-Originally filed as HB1356, Villarreal
Status: Signed by the Governor on June 18, 2005; Effective Immediately

TECEC PRIORITY: Improving Quality through Consumer Information and Professional Development
Legislation Filed: House Bill 2959 (Paxton)-Originally filed as HB2324, Villarreal
Status: Died just before reaching Conference Committee between House and Senate

THREE OF THE FOUR TECEC PRIORITIES PASSED! For more information on this important legislation, click here . 

LEGISLATION FILED RELATED TO EARLY CARE & EDUCATION DURING THE 79TH LEGISLATIVE SESSION

Senate Bills

House Bills

Resolutions

TOOLS:

TECEC Legislative Agenda

TECEC Legislative Agenda Talking Points

TECEC Legislative Agenda Sources

Early Care and Education Legislation Sorted by Category  

Earning a Gold Star Brochure

Cascading Effects of Enhanced Early Care and Education

PRESENTATIONS FROM THE CAPITOL FORUM:
Senator Judith Zaffirini co-hosted a forum at the Texas Capitol Auditorium with United Ways of Texas on Wednesday, March 9th. The event highlighted the relationship between early care and education and economic development and specifically discussed the work of the Texas Early Education Model (TEEM). Guest speakers included Texas Senator Judith Zaffirini, Dr. Susan Landry from the State Center for Early Childhood Development, Dr. Alvin Tarlov from the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, and Karen R. Johnson from the United Ways of Texas. The discussion was facilitated by Jason Sabo from the United Ways of Texas.

The Capitol Forum Early Childhood Education and Development: Role in Economic Development
Dr. Alvin Tarlov-James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University

Combined Power Point Presentation: Closing the Achievement Gap: Pre-Kindergarten as an Economic Development Strategy and Achieving Higher Levels of School Readiness in Cost Effective Ways
Jason Sabo-United Ways of Texas
Dr. Susan H. Landry-State Center for Early Childhood Development

Last Updated: 7/26/2005