A great way to make your voice heard on bills in the state Legislature is to leave a public comment online. These comments, which you can write from your home, are distributed to representatives on House committees and become part of the public record on a bill – so be respectful and thoughtful when writing. Texas AFT encourages public school supporters to leave comments on the following bills this week:
- SB1 (Huffman) – Comments should ask legislators to appropriate more money toward public education funding and raises for staff, and to oppose the narrow focus on teacher-only raises through the Teacher Incentive Allotment.
- HB 1705 (Shofner) – Texas AFT opposes this bill that would allow colleges to seek accreditation outside of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. This would result in students at non-SACS-accredited colleges losing their FAFSA aid dollars and having their degrees invalidated.
- HB 3126 (Darby) – Texas AFT supports this bill allowing small ISDs that opted out of TRS ActiveCare to opt back in, reducing insurance costs for employees in these districts.
After you’re done, we encourage you to let your colleagues, friends, and family know about these issues and urge them to submit public comments. The bills available for public comment change weekly, so check the site often and make your voice heard!
Please consider using the following resources to guide you and your colleagues in submitting public comments: