House Bill No. 3661 seeks to regulate political communications within educational institutions by prohibiting electioneering by officials and employees of school districts and open-enrollment charter schools. The bill introduces new provisions that bar individuals found to have violated electioneering laws from serving on the board of trustees or governing body of a school district or charter school for three years. It also establishes a registry for individuals ineligible for employment in public schools due to electioneering violations. School district superintendents and principals are tasked with reporting any alleged violations, with penalties for failure to do so ranging from civil fines of $500 to $10,000. The State Board for Educator Certification is required to adopt standards of conduct and can implement remedial actions if current measures are insufficient.

Additionally, the bill amends the Education Code to clarify the enforcement mechanisms related to educator certification and school district accountability. It specifies that activities conducted outside of work hours do not count as public money expenditures and classifies certain violations of political advertising and public resource use as Class A misdemeanors. The bill also allows for exceptions regarding legislative measures for school district governing body members and repeals specific provisions of the Education Code. It stipulates that the new regulations will apply only to contracts entered into or renewed after the bill's effective date, which will be immediate upon a two-thirds majority vote or on September 1, 2025, if not achieved.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: Education Code 11.061, Education Code 12.120, Education Code 22.092, Education Code 39.003, Election Code 251.001, Election Code 255.003, Election Code 255.0031, Government Code 572.059 (Education Code 12, Election Code 251, Education Code 39, Government Code 572, Education Code 11, Election Code 255, Education Code 22)