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Use this handbook to lobby for HB1664 and HB428/HJR50 and as an example for other bills.
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Texas JSA Legislative Lobbying Handbook
2015 !!!!!
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#FightApathy !!
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Table of Contents
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Letter from the Director of Activism and Director of Political Communications 3
Letter from the Author of HB1664 (Final Exam Bill) 3
Letter from the Author of HB428/HJR50 (Voting Bill/Joint Resolution) 3
What is HB1664? 4
HB1664: Decoding Jargon 5
HB1664: How to Lobby 6
HB1664: Sample Letter 7
What is HB428? 10
What is HJR50? 11
HB428/HJR50: Decoding Jargon 11
HB428/HJR50: How to Lobby 12
HB428/HJR50: Sample Letter 14
How to: Get the Word Out 15
Additional Contacts & Resources 16
!3Texas Statesmen and Stateswomen, !We’re so excited to share this legislative lobbying handbook with you. In the following pages, you will find the text of two bills, background information and talking points on them, and instructions for contacting your legislators about them. Our very own, Speaker Catherine Zhang, authored one of these bills, HB1664, and Fall State speaker, Representative Donna Howard, authored the other, HB428/HJR50. Both of these bills deal with non-partisan issues that are particularly important to JSA members and high school students, as they affect your right to vote and your ability to miss school when you're exempt from exams. We encourage you to read over the information in this packet, as well as do your own research on these two issues. Obviously, these two bills are just a starting point, and we chose them because of their significance to Texas JSA and its members; please feel free to take the enclosed guidelines and advice and apply them to bills that you're particularly passionate about this legislative session. We hope that you will take the time to read over this information and call, email, or write your elected officials in the Texas Legislature and encourage your peers to do so as well, no matter what issues you do so for. !Sincerely, Elizabeth Pancotti Maya Patel Texas JSA Director of Political Communications Texas JSA Director of Activism !Texas Statesmen and Stateswomen, !When Plano West JSA first organized a school board rally on the issue of final exam exemptions, only four students showed up, even though thousands of high school students across the Plano Independent School District were angry about the changes to our final exam exemption policy. Young people are bound by an underlying belief that their voices don’t matter. Although there are a multitude of issues in this world that make them angry, apathy and cynicism cloud their resolve to change these problems. It’s what binds them to their homes, sitting passively instead getting involved. I wrote this bill to prove that an average seventeen year-old can make a difference. That a high school student like me can work to fix problems in my local community, even though I lack the ability to vote. I am not a public policy expert. I am not anything special. I am just a student who was discontent enough with an issue to act on it. And that means you too can get your voice heard if you make the effort to speak up. Call your representative. Write emails. Go to city council meetings. Be the people. !Sincerely, Catherine Zhang Texas JSA Speaker of the House !Texas Junior State, !This session, I have filed HB428 and HJR50, which would place a Constitutional Amendment on the ballot to allow 17-year old voters to cast a ballot in a primary election, provided that they would be 18 in time for the November general election. The bill treats the nomination contest as an integral part of the general election, the idea being that if you're going to vote in November you should have a say in who actually makes it onto that ballot. This is a nonpartisan measure, highlighted by the fact that conservative State Rep. Jonathan Stickland has signed on as a Joint Author. I feel that it will have relevance to students so I’m counting on you for your feedback and asking for your support. If you’d like to testify in person at the committee hearing for the bill, please contact my office. !Sincerely, Representative Donna Howard/a.s.
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What is HB1664? HB1664- 84R
Author: Leach: HD66
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the authority of a school district to excuse from school attendance a student who is
exempt from a final examination.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 25.087, Education Code, is amended by adding Subsection (d-1) to
read as follows:
(d-1) A school district may excuse a student from attending school during the
administration of a final examination for a course in which the student is enrolled if the school
district allows the student, because of a good attendance record and high student academic
achievement, to be exempt from the administration of the final examination. A student whose
absence is excused under this subsection may not be penalized for that absence and shall be
counted as if the student attended school for purposes of calculating the average daily
attendance of students in the school district.
SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with the 2015-2016 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,
2015.
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HB1664: Decoding the Jargon • In general terms, the bill allows school districts to excuse students from class during final exams
without being penalized funding-wise. • Under current Texas law, funding for public education is tied to student attendance. Allowing
students to leave campus during final exam times could lead to losses of hundreds of thousands in district funding from the state.
• Due to financial implications, many school districts around the state changed their exemption policies to mandate that students be present on campus for the entire day, even if they were exempt from multiple exams.
• Generally, if students meet certain academic and attendance standards set by their school district, they are exempt from taking their final exams. If students show their mastery of course content through academic and attendance standards, the final exam is not necessarily needed, which warrants an exemption.
• The bill states that a school district “may excuse” a student. It is up to individual school districts to determine whether they will offer final exam exemptions. If the bill passes, flexibility would exist for school districts to consider not requiring exempted students to report to campus on those days.
• It is up to individual school districts to decide what would qualify as good attendance and high student academic achievement. This bill is all about local control. Districts should be able to determine their own path.
• Requiring exempt students to stay in class for the administration of the final exam is a waste of time, money, and resources. Instead of using the time to work at a job or internship, study for a final from which one may not be exempted, visit college campuses, or catch up on sleep, students will have to spend copious amounts of time sitting in on an exam that doesn’t even count for their grade.
• Teachers will have to use their energy to monitor a classroom full of students, instead of being able to use time during finals week to work on plans for next semester, or the upcoming school year, or to participate in teacher training.
• Since exempt students and nonexempt students are placed in the same classroom, restless peers who have little to occupy their time during exam periods will distract nonexempt students taking the final exam.
• It is nonsensical that an independent school district could lose hundreds of thousands of dollars in state funding for rewarding students for their hard work. Think about it. Teacher layoffs and larger classroom sizes, just because students get to leave campus during final exams – is that really necessary?
• At the end of the day, this is an issue about local control. Independent school districts should be able to implement policies that reward high achieving students without loss of funds from the state.
• Time would be freed up, so you could: • Study for other finals • Visit colleges • Apply for jobs
• School districts would: • Receive funds without you having to come to school • Be given local control to determine exemption policy without worrying about finances
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HB1664: How to Lobby !For this bill to be heard it must go through the education committee first. If the education committee supports the bill, it will be submitted to the senate education committee. If they support the bill, then the legislators will vote! You can email, write or call the members of the committee or your own representative. !Send an Email: Write a personal email using information above to express why you would like to see HB1664 pass. If you send an email, personalizing the message would be best; but, if you’re in a hurry, below is a quick message that you may consider: For a student to send - My name is _____________ and I attend ____________. I am in support of HB 1664 that allows school districts to exempt high performing students from finals based upon grades and attendance without losing state funding. For a parent to send – My name is _________________ and I have a child who attends ___________. I am in support of HB 1664 that allows school district to exempt high performing students from finals based upon grades and attendance without losing state funding. For a teacher or administrator to send – My name is _________________ and I am a teacher/*insert position* who works at ___________. I am in support of HB 1664 that allows school district to exempt high performing students from finals based upon grades and attendance without losing state funding. !To whom do I send my email? Theses are email addresses for the members of the House Education Committee: [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
[email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
All addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers for members of the House can be found here. If you don’t know your representative or house district, you can look that up here. !Make a Phone Call: If you’d like to call a representative, you can use the above email blurb as an opening line. The legislative staffer will probably ask for your name, phone number, and/or address; they’re required to do this to keep records of all of the testimonies they receive. !On the following page, you will find a sample letter you can copy and paste into a Word document or download here, fill out and send to your representative or one of the representatives on the House Education Committee. You can also save the document after you fill it out and attach it to an email to a representative. Feel free to customize the letter or write your own! Be sure to include the enclosures, which are the two pages that follow the letter. !
!7[Your full name]
[Your street address] [Your city, TX, zip code] !
[Month day, year] !Re: House Bill 1664, Final exemptions and funding !Dear Representative [Insert Last Name]: !My name is [full name] and I reside in [City, TX] in House District [HD#]. I am writing you to ask that you support House Bill 1664. Passing this bill would allow school districts to reward high-achieving students like myself for our hard work without the risk of financial loss. !Students around the state of Texas are awarded exemption from their final exams because of their exemplary attendance and academic achievement. Many school districts allowed high performing students to be absent during the administration of the final exam. This exemption system was a huge incentive for students to attend school and perform well in classes that challenged them. !However, many school districts have recently stopped allowing these students to be absent, or completely taken away exemptions, because allowing exempted students to leave campus during finals week resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost district funding from the state. High performing students like me spend hours of wasted time filling out scantrons for final exams from which we are exempted. Struggling students, who could benefit from a quiet test-taking atmosphere during finals, currently have to deal with the disturbances of their restless classmates who are required to stay in class. If HB1664 became law, students who are exempted from final(s) could use that time to study or seek help in other classes, visit in-state or out-of-state colleges, or apply for jobs. Teachers could reconsolidate their classrooms and focus on students who need assistance the most, or use the time to plan ahead for the next school year. !It seems nonsensical that under Texas’s current financial formula, school districts would risk massive financial consequences for rewarding hardworking, successful students. Attached to the end of this letter is some supplemental information regarding public education’s mission, objectives and goals and excerpts from the 2014-2015 Student Attendance Accounting Handbook. You will find that this bill aligns well with public education’s mission. Please note page Section 3.2.2 Funding Eligibility and page Section 3.6.6 Attendance Accounting During Test Days. !I hope that you will vote in favor of House Bill 1664 or better yet, consider being a co-sponsor, so we can change this broken system. Thank you for your time and consideration of my request. !Sincerely, !**If printing erase this and sign here after printed** [Your Name]
!8Enclosures !
TITLE 2. PUBLIC EDUCATION http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/ED/htm/ED.4.htm !SUBTITLE A. GENERAL PROVISIONS !CHAPTER 4. PUBLIC EDUCATION MISSION, OBJECTIVES, AND GOALS !Sec. 4.001. PUBLIC EDUCATION MISSION AND OBJECTIVES. (a) The mission of the public education system of this state is to ensure that all Texas children have access to a quality education that enables them to achieve their potential and fully participate now and in the future in the social, economic, and educational opportunities of our state and nation. That mission is grounded on the conviction that a general diffusion of knowledge is essential for the welfare of this state and for the preservation of the liberties and rights of citizens. It is further grounded on the conviction that a successful public education system is directly related to a strong, dedicated, and supportive family and that parental involvement in the school is essential for the maximum educational achievement of a child. (b) The objectives of public education are: OBJECTIVE 1: Parents will be full partners with educators in the education of their children. OBJECTIVE 2: Students will be encouraged and challenged to meet their full educational potential. OBJECTIVE 3: Through enhanced dropout prevention efforts, all students will remain in school until they obtain a high school diploma. OBJECTIVE 4: A well-balanced and appropriate curriculum will be provided to all students. OBJECTIVE 5: Educators will prepare students to be thoughtful, active citizens who have an appreciation for the basic values of our state and national heritage and who can understand and productively function in a free enterprise society. OBJECTIVE 6: Qualified and highly effective personnel will be recruited, developed, and retained. OBJECTIVE 7: The state's students will demonstrate exemplary performance in comparison to national and international standards. OBJECTIVE 8: School campuses will maintain a safe and disciplined environment conducive to student learning. OBJECTIVE 9: Educators will keep abreast of the development of creative and innovative techniques in instruction and administration using those techniques as appropriate to improve student learning. OBJECTIVE 10: Technology will be implemented and used to increase the effectiveness of student learning, instructional management, staff development, and administration.
!9!Added by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 260, Sec. 1, eff. May 30, 1995. Amended by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 82, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 2003. !Sec. 4.002. PUBLIC EDUCATION ACADEMIC GOALS. To serve as a foundation for a well-balanced and appropriate education: GOAL 1: The students in the public education system will demonstrate exemplary performance in the reading and writing of the English language. GOAL 2: The students in the public education system will demonstrate exemplary performance in the understanding of mathematics. GOAL 3: The students in the public education system will demonstrate exemplary performance in the understanding of science. GOAL 4: The students in the public education system will demonstrate exemplary performance in the understanding of social studies. !Added by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 260, Sec. 1, eff. May 30, 1995. !
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What is HB428? HB428- 84R
Author: Howard: HD48 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT relating to allowing a person who will be 18 years of age on the date of the general election for state and county officers to vote in the preceding primary elections. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Section 13.001, Election Code, is amended by amending Subsections (a) and (b) and adding Subsection (d) to read as follows: (a) To be eligible for registration as a voter in this state, a person must: (1) except as provided by Subsection (d), be 18 years of age or older; (2) be a United States citizen; (3) not have been determined by a final judgment of a court exercising probate jurisdiction to be: (A) totally mentally incapacitated; or (B) partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote; (4) not have been finally convicted of a felony or, if so convicted, must have: (A) fully discharged the person's sentence, including any term of incarceration, parole, or supervision, or completed a period of probation ordered by any court; or (B) been pardoned or otherwise released from the resulting disability to vote; and (5) be a resident of the county in which application for registration is made. (b) Except as provided by Subsection (d), to [To] be eligible to apply for registration, a person must, on the date the registration application is submitted to the registrar, be at least 17 years and 10 months of age and satisfy the requirements of Subsection (a) except for age. (d) A person who will be 18 years of age or older on the date of the next general election for state and county officers is eligible to register as a voter in this state for the purposes of voting in the primary election to determine a political party's nominees for the general election if the person satisfies the requirements of Subsection (a) except for age. The secretary of state shall prescribe procedures necessary to implement this subsection. SECTION 2. Subchapter A, Chapter 172, Election Code, is amended by adding Section 172.005 to read as follows: Sec. 172.005. VOTING BY PERSON UNDER AGE 18. (a) Notwithstanding Section 11.001, a person may vote in a primary election if the person: (1) will be 18 years of age or older on the date of the subsequent general election for state and county officers; and (2) satisfies the requirements for being a qualified voter except for age. (b) The secretary of state, after consulting with the state chairman of each political party required to make nominations by primary election, shall prescribe the procedures necessary to implement this section. SECTION 3. This Act takes effect on the date on which the constitutional amendment proposed by the 84th Legislature, Regular Session, 2015, authorizing certain persons under the age of 18 to vote in a primary election takes effect. If that amendment is not approved by the voters, this Act has no effect.
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What is HJR50? HJR50- 84R
Author: Howard: HD48 A JOINT RESOLUTION
proposing a constitutional amendment authorizing certain persons under the age of 18 to vote in a primary election. BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Article VI, Texas Constitution, is amended by adding Section 1a to read as follows: Sec. 1a. The legislature by general law may provide for voting in a primary election by a person who: (1) will be 18 years of age or older on the date of the subsequent general election for state and county officers; and (2) satisfies the other applicable requirements for eligibility to vote. SECTION 2. This proposed constitutional amendment shall be submitted to the voters at an election to be held November 3, 2015. The ballot shall be printed to permit voting for or against the proposition: "The constitutional amendment authorizing a person who will be 18 years of age or older on the date of the general election for state and county officers to vote in the preceding primary election." ____________________________________________________________________________________ HB428/HJR50: Decoding the Jargon !• This bill proposes an amendment to the Texas Constitution, which will then be voted on by the
general public in November of 2015. • Rep. Howard and Rep. Stickland have co-authored this bill, making it bipartisan legislation. • This bill and House joint resolution are companions, and they will likely be voted on together.
When discussing the bill with lawmakers, make sure you reference them together (ex: HB428/HJR50).
• The bill has to pass with a 2/3rds majority in the Texas Legislature for it to be put on ballots in November’s constitutional amendment election.
• The constitutional amendment must be approved by a simple majority of voters. • If the voters approve the amendment, then the text of the amendment (which is listed in the
HJR) will be added to the Texas Constitution. • This means that it will likely be implemented by the March 2016 primary elections, and
seventeen year-olds that meet all of the other qualifications to register to vote may register and cast a ballot if they will be eighteen years of age on or before the general election.
• Basically, if you will be eighteen when the general election takes place, you can vote in a party’s primary in March of that year's election.
• This is important, because primaries create ballots; you will play a part in creating the ballot from which you will cast your votes.
• As members of Texas JSA, most of you are under the age of eighteen, this amendment should be particularly important to you. This would allow many of you to play a role in nominating candidates for the party with which you choose to affiliate yourself.
• Other states that have laws similar to this one: Alaska, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Virginia, Vermont, and Washington.
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HB428/HJR50: How to Lobby !Before HB428/HJR50 can be presented on the House floor, it has to pass out of committee. The most important step right now is working to get this bill out of the House Committee on Elections. !Testify at the Hearing: Once a committee hearing date is set, the bill will be heard before the committee. Legislators and Texans will have a chance to present their views before the committee. If you’re interested in testifying at the hearing, please contact Avery Saxe in Rep. Howard’s office ([email protected]). If you’re not able to testify in person, you can talk to Avery about electronically filing testimony for someone else to read or to be added to the archives. !Send an Email: Write a personal email using information above to express why you would like to see HB428/HJR50 pass. Contact all or some of the members of the Elections committee, your own state representative, or other representatives. Before the hearing, the most effective offices to contact are those of the committee members. If the bill passes committee, it will be effective to contact your own or other representatives before the bill goes to the floor and while it is being argued. If you send an email, personalizing the message would be best, but if you’re in a hurry, below is a quick message that you may consider: For a student to send - My name is _____________ and I attend ____________. I am in support of HB428 and HJR50 that propose a constitutional amendment that would allow eligible seventeen year-olds to vote in primaries if they will be eighteen by the general election. I urge Representative _______ to support HB428 and HJR50. For a parent to send – My name is _________________ and I have a child who attends ___________. I am in support of HB428 and HJR50 that propose a constitutional amendment that would allow eligible seventeen year-olds to vote in primaries if they will be eighteen by the general election. I urge Representative _______ to support HB428 and HJR50. !To whom do I send my email? Theses are email addresses for the members of the Texas House Committee on Elections: Chair: Rep. Jodie Laubenberg ([email protected]) Vice Chair: Rep. Craig Goldman ([email protected]) Rep. Pat Fallon ([email protected]) Rep. Celia Israel ([email protected]) Rep. Dade Phelan ([email protected]) Rep. Ron Reynolds ([email protected]) Rep. Mike Schofield ([email protected])!All addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers for members of the House can be found here. If you don’t know your representative or house district, you can look that up here. !
!13Make a Phone Call: If you’d like to call a representative, you can use the above email blurb as an opening line. The legislative staffer will probably ask for your name, phone number, and/or address; they’re required to do this to keep records of all of the testimonies they receive. !Mail a Letter: If you’d like to mail a letter, a sample follows this page. Make sure to fill in the brackets with your information, print, and sign the letter. You can find the mailing addresses and phone numbers for House members here. !On the following page, you will find a sample letter you can copy and paste into a Word document or download here, fill out and send to your representative, or one of the representatives on the House Education Committee. You can also save the document after you fill it out and attach it to an email to a representative. Feel free to customize the letter or write your own! !!
!14[Your full name]
[Your street address] [Your city, TX, zip code] !
[Month day, year] !Re: House Bill 428 and House Joint Resolution 50, Eligibility of Primary election voters !Dear Representative [Insert Last Name]: !My name is [full name] and I reside in [City, TX] in House District [HD#]. I am writing you to ask that you support House Bill 428 and House Joint Resolution 50. Passing these would allow a constitutional amendment to be added to ballots in November 2015 that would, if passed, allow eligible seventeen year-olds to register and vote in Primary elections if they will turn eighteen on or before the date of that year’s general election. !As a member of the Texas Junior State, I’ve seen firsthand how important the political process is. Engaged students, like my peers and myself, should be allowed to play a role in nominating those that will appear on the general election ballots for which we are eligible to cast. It’s only fair that we should get to choose for whom we are able to vote in the general election. !Additionally, because this is a proposed constitutional amendment, the voters of Texas will ultimately have the final say in this matter. The legislation is bipartisan in nature, as it is authored by Representative Howard (D-48) and co-authored by Representative Stickland (R-92). Although some issues this legislative session are polarizing and cause clashes between the two sides of the aisle, this legislation cuts through that and provides a matter upon which both sides can agree. !Texas ranks 52nd in political participation and engagement out of all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. HB429 and HJR50 get students involved in the political process at an age only a few months shy of the current age; however, they will have a higher tendency to vote in general elections if they get to participate in their party’s primary election. Statistics show that voters that vote in the first election they’re eligible to tend to be higher-propensity voters throughout their lifetimes. !This legislation is common sense, fair, bipartisan legislation that benefits the youth of Texas. I hope that you will vote in favor of House Bill 428 and House Joint Resolution 50. Thank you for your time and consideration of my request. !Sincerely, !**Erase this and sign here after printed** ![Your Name]
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How to: Get the Word Out !There are a few easy steps that you can take to make fight apathy a success within your hometown. !1. Create a poster advertising the event and post it around your school and in history classrooms. Send emails to history teachers asking them to mention the event to students. Put an advertisement in the school newsletter, broadcast, or announcements. !2. Use your personal connections! Reach out to local businesses and politicians - really anyone that makes a difference in your community. Talk to them about JSA and your bill lobbying efforts! Invite them to speak at your school or merely observe it in action. You can do this by email, phone, or in person! Talking to someone in person makes it even more convincing. You may be surprised how excited others are to come and see Fight Apathy in action! !3. Take pictures! Use social media and show how YOU are lobbying. Share your pictures with Texas JSA: Facebook: facebook.com/hotjsa Twitter: @Texas_JSA Instagram: @hotjsa Use the hashtag #FightApathy to spread your beliefs! !4. Send out a press release after your event with pictures attached to local press - both newspapers and TV stations. You can edit the template, found here, to your specifications. If you need any help with reaching out to the press, contact Maggie Steiner, director of publicity. Email it to influential members of the community as well; don’t be afraid to show what the youth voice can do! !!
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Additional Contacts & Resources !Maya Patel, Director of Activism [email protected] !Elizabeth Pancotti, Director of Political Communications [email protected] !Catherine Zhang, Speaker of the House [email protected] !All of the links in this handbook can be found at texasjsa.weebly.com/activism.html
