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 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 establishes a new chapter in the Education Code that explicitly prohibits electioneering activities, mandates reporting of violations by superintendents and directors, and outlines penalties for non-compliance. The bill also details the process for determining violations and the consequences, including administrative penalties and potential ineligibility for employment in public schools.

Additionally, the bill amends various sections of the Education Code and Election Code, clarifying that activities conducted outside of work hours do not count as the expenditure of public money and specifying that violations related to political advertising can result in a Class A misdemeanor. It allows for the use of internal mail systems for distributing political advertising under certain conditions and exempts school district governing body members from specific legislative restrictions. The bill repeals certain provisions and establishes that the new regulations will apply only to contracts entered into or renewed after its effective date. It will take effect immediately if it receives a two-thirds vote from both houses; otherwise, it will take effect on September 1, 2025.

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 (Election Code 251, Education Code 22, Government Code 572, Education Code 11, Education Code 12, Election Code 255, Education Code 39)