Relating to a Texas Education Agency database of school district and open-enrollment charter school bonds, taxes, and bond-related projects, the official text

S.B. No. 843

AN ACT

relating to a Texas Education Agency database of school district

and open-enrollment charter school bonds, taxes, and bond-related

projects.

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

SECTION 1. Subchapter E, Chapter 45, Education Code, is

amended by adding Section 45.114 to read as follows:

Sec. 45.114. BOND, TAX, AND PROJECT DATABASE. (a) In this

section:

(1) "Bond" means a bond described by Section 45.001.

(2) "Charter district" means an open-enrollment

charter school designated as a charter district under Section

12.135.

(3) "Database" means the database established under

this section.

(4) "Maintenance tax" means a tax described by Section

45.002.

(b) The agency shall develop and maintain a database that

includes current information regarding school district or

open-enrollment charter school, including charter district, bonds,

taxes, and bond-related projects, including:

(1) for each bond planned, proposed, or issued by a

school district:

(A) the language of the ballot proposition under

Section 45.003(b);

(B) the projected interest and sinking fund tax

rate associated with a proposed bond;

(C) the result of an election held for the

purpose of issuing a proposed bond;

(D) a list of the projects to be funded using the

bond;

(E) an accounting of the use of the proceeds of

any issued bond, including descriptions of any projects paid for

with the proceeds;

(F) other data related to capital projects, such

as new or renovated facilities, funded wholly or partly using the

bond, including data regarding funding sources for the projects,

project costs, project budget, and project size; and

(G) any increase in the interest and sinking fund

tax rate resulting from issued bonds;

(2) for each bond issued for an open-enrollment

charter school, including a charter district:

(A) a list of the projects to be funded using the

bond; and

(B) an accounting of the use of the proceeds of

any issued bond, including descriptions of any projects paid for

with the proceeds;

(3) for maintenance taxes that have been levied or

proposed by a school district:

(A) each school district's proposed or approved

tax rate; and

(B) the language of the ballot proposition under

Section 45.003(d);

(4) the results of any election held under Section

26.08, Tax Code, including the ad valorem tax rate proposed by the

school district for purposes of the election;

(5) a report generation function to allow the agency

to generate reports of the information described by Subdivisions

(1), (2), and (3), as applicable, for each school district and

open-enrollment charter school, including a charter district,

disaggregated by geographic area; and

(6) a function that allows for the proposal of updates

or corrections to the information included in the database.

(c) A school district or open-enrollment charter school,

including a charter district, shall provide the agency with the

information described by Subsections (b)(1) through (4) and any

other information requested by the agency for the purpose of

maintaining the database established under this section.

(d) The agency may contract with a third party as necessary

for the development or maintenance of the database under this

section.

(e) The agency shall transmit the information described

above to the Bond Review Board to satisfy the local government

reporting requirements under Section 1231.025 of the Government

Code.

(f) The commissioner may adopt rules as necessary to

implement this section.

SECTION 2. The Texas Education Agency is required to

implement a provision of this Act only if the legislature

appropriates money specifically for that purpose. If the

legislature does not appropriate money specifically for that

purpose, the agency may, but is not required to, implement a

provision of this Act using other money available for that purpose.

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.

______________________________
______________________________

President of the Senate
Speaker of the House

I hereby certify that S.B. No. 843 passed the Senate on

April 24, 2025, by the following vote: Yeas 30, Nays 1; and that

the Senate concurred in House amendment on May 26, 2025, by the

following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.

______________________________

Secretary of the Senate

I hereby certify that S.B. No. 843 passed the House, with

amendment, on May 20, 2025, by the following vote: Yeas 144,

Nays 0, four present not voting.

______________________________

Chief Clerk of the House

Approved:

______________________________

Date

______________________________

Governor