Additional Information

First elected to the Texas Senate in 2020. Current term expires January 2025.

Eckhardt won a special election July 14, 2020, to fill the remaining term of former Sen. Kirk Watson (D-Austin), who resigned from this office April 30, 2020.

Supported by one or more pro-public education organizations in the 2024 Texas primaries.

Endorsed by the Austin American-Statesman for the July 2020 special election.

Related Blog Posts

• Senate Vote #1 - 2023: PRIVATE SCHOOL VOUCHERS

  Voted against a bill that would have established an education savings account (ESA) voucher program. ATPE opposed the bill.

  Senate Bill 8 by Sen. Brandon Creighton (R–Conroe), 88th Legislature, Regular Session. The bill would have established an education savings account (ESA) voucher program. Read more about the bill here. On April 6, 2023, the Senate voted to pass the bill on second reading. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate journal.) The bill ultimately died in the House.

• Senate Vote #2 - 2023: PRIVATE SCHOOL VOUCHERS

  Voted against a teacher compensation bill that the Senate modified to create an education savings account (ESA) voucher program. ATPE opposed the Senate's version of the bill.

  House Bill 100 by Rep. Ken King (R–Canadian), sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Brandon Creighton (R–Conroe), 88th Legislature, Regular Session. The original House bill intended to change school funding formulas and teacher compensation. The Senate modified HB 100 to include an education savings account (ESA) voucher program. Read more about the bill here. On May 23, 2023, the Senate voted to pass its version of the bill on second reading. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate journal.) HB 100 later died in a conference committee because the House refused to accept the Senate’s addition of a voucher to the bill.

• Senate Vote #3 - 2023: COMPENSATION

  Voted for an amendment to grant teachers a $10,000 pay raise. ATPE supported the amendment.

  Senate Floor Amendment 8 by Sen. Morgan LaMantia (D–South Padre Island) to Senate Bill 9 by Sen. Brandon Creighton (R–Conroe), 88th Legislature, Regular Session. The amendment would have given all teachers a $10,000 pay raise. On April 6, 2023, the Senate voted to reject the amendment. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate journal.)

• Senate Vote #4 - 2023: TEACHER PIPELINE

  Voted for an amendment to preserve the elected State Board of Education's (SBOE) veto power over rules adopted by the appointed State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC). ATPE supported the amendment.

  Senate Floor Amendment 9 by Sen. Nathan Johnson (D–Dallas) to Senate Bill 9 by Sen. Brandon Creighton (R–Conroe), 88th Legislature, Regular Session. The amendment would have ensured public oversight of teacher pipeline regulations by maintaining the elected State Board of Education’s (SBOE) veto authority over rulemaking by the appointed State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC). On April 6, 2023, the Senate voted to reject the amendment. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate journal.)

• Senate Vote #5 - 2023: TEACHER PIPELINE

  Voted against an omnibus bill that proposed several regulatory changes and a one-time stipend of $2,000 for teachers. ATPE believed the bill was insufficient in terms of providing a meaningful increase in educator compensation or enhancement of teachers' rights.

  Senate Bill 9 by Sen. Brandon Creighton (R–Conroe), 88th Legislature, Regular Session. Marketed as a “Teacher Bill of Rights,” SB 9 proposed a one-time stipend of $2,000 for teachers and several regulatory changes affecting the education profession. Read more about the bill and ATPE’s Senate testimony on it here. On April 6, 2023, the Senate voted to pass the bill on second reading. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate journal.) The bill later died in the House.

• Senate Vote #6 - 2023: SCHOOL SAFETY

  Voted for an omnibus school safety bill that provides funding to help schools comply with safety requirements. ATPE supported the bill.

  House Bill 3 by Rep. Dustin Burrows (R–Lubbock), sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Robert Nichols (R–Jacksonville), 88th Legislature, Regular Session. This omnibus school safety bill provides $1.3 billion in school safety funding, calls for mental health training for school district employees, requires an armed officer at every campus, and allows the state to appoint a conservator to help school districts achieve compliance. The bill includes ATPE-recommended language limiting the scope of the conservator’s authority. On May 21, 2023, the Senate voted to pass its version of HB 3. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate journal.) The Legislature ultimately passed a compromise version of the bill.

• Senate Vote #7 - 2023: SCHOOL SAFETY

  Voted against a motion to table (kill) an amendment that would have significantly increased funding for school safety. ATPE supported the amendment and opposed the motion to table it.

  Senate Floor Amendment 2 by Sen. Jose Menendez (D–San Antonio) to House Bill 3 by Rep. Dustin Burrows (R–Lubbock), sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Robert Nichols (R–Jacksonville), 88th Legislature, Regular Session. The Senate’s version of HB 3 proposed a school safety allotment that included $10 per student. The Menendez amendment would have significantly increased that funding to $100 per student. On May 21, 2023, the Senate voted to table (kill) the Menendez amendment. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate journal.)

• Senate Vote #8 - 2023: LIBRARY BOOKS

  Voted against a bill establishing a rating system for and restricting certain content in school library materials.

  House Bill 900 by Rep. Jared Patterson (R–Frisco), sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Angela Paxton (R–McKinney), 88th Legislature, Regular Session. The bill requires book vendors to rate books based on sexual content and the development of additional state standards. The bill also prohibits certain materials from public school libraries and requires parental notification and consent for student access to certain other library materials. Read ATPE’s written testimony on the bill here. On May 23, 2023, the Senate voted to approve final passage of the bill. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate journal).

• Senate Vote #9 - 2023: CURRICULUM

  Was absent for the vote on a bill that incentivized school districts to require educators to teach from prepackaged statewide curriculum designed by the Texas Education Agency.

  House Bill 1605 by Rep. Brad Buckley (R–Salado), sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Brandon Creighton (R–Conroe), 88th Legislature, Regular Session. The bill incentivizes school districts to require certain educators to teach from prepackaged statewide curriculum designed by the Texas Education Agency. Read more about the bill here. On May 12, 2023, the Senate voted to pass the bill on second reading. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate journal.) The bill later became law after being approved by both the Senate and House.

• Senate Vote #10 - 2023: SCHOOL COUNSELORS

  Voted for a bill that removed the requirement for school counselors to have prior experience as a classroom teacher. ATPE opposed the bill.

  Senate Bill 798 by Sen. Mayes Middleton (R–Galveston), 88th Legislature, Regular Session. The bill removed the requirement for school counselors to have prior experience as a classroom teacher. On April 5, 2023, the Senate voted to pass the bill on third reading. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate journal.) The bill later became law after being approved by both the Senate and House.

• Senate Vote #11 - 2023: SCHOOL CHAPLAINS

  Voted against a bill that allows school districts to employ paid or volunteer chaplains for student counseling and support and requires school boards to adopt a policy on whether to use chaplains. ATPE opposes allowing chaplains not certified as school counselors to provide counseling services to students.

  Senate Bill 763 by Sen. Mayes Middleton (R–Galveston), 88th Legislature, Regular Session. The bill allows school districts to employ paid or volunteer chaplains to support students without requiring them to be certified or trained as school counselors. SB 763 also requires each school board to vote on whether to adopt a policy authorizing the district’s use of chaplains. On May 23, 2023, the Senate voted to adopt the conference committee report on SB 763, approving final passage of the bill. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate journal.)

• Senate Vote #12 - 2023: MANDATORY REPORTING

  Voted against a bill that removed educators' ability to anonymously report cases of suspected child abuse and neglect. ATPE opposed the bill.

  House Bill 63 by Rep. Valoree Swanson (R–Spring), sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Kevin Sparks (R–Midland), 88th Legislature, Regular Session. The bill removed educators’ ability to anonymously report suspected child abuse and neglect. On May 18, 2023, the Senate voted to approve final passage of the bill. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate journal.)

• Senate Vote #13 - 2023: TEN COMMANDMENTS

  Voted against a bill that would have required every educator to display the Ten Commandments in their classroom. ATPE opposed the bill.

  Senate Bill 1515 by Sen. Phil King (R–Weatherford), 88th Legislature, Regular Session. The bill would have required every educator to display the Ten Commandments in their classroom. ATPE opposed SB 1515’s mandate of the display in every classroom but did not oppose a related bill, Senate Bill 1721 by Sen. Angela Paxton (R–McKinney), which called for a display of the Ten Commandments in a single prominent location on each campus. On April 20, 2023, the Senate passed SB 1515 on third reading. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate journal.) The bill later died in the House.

• Senate Vote #14 - 2023: RETIREMENT

  Voted for a bill that provided a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) and 13th check for retired educators. ATPE supported the bill.

  Senate Bill 10 by Sen. Joan Huffman (R–Houston), 88th Legislature, Regular Session. The bill provides a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) and 13th check for retired educators. On May 27, 2023, the Senate voted to adopt the conference committee report on SB 10, approving final passage of the bill. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate journal.)

• Senate Vote #15 - 2023: PRIVATE SCHOOL VOUCHERS

  Voted against a bill that would have established an education savings account (ESA) voucher program. ATPE opposed the bill.

  Senate Bill 1 by Sen. Brandon Creighton (R–Conroe), 88th Legislature, third called Special Session. The bill would have established an education savings account (ESA) voucher program. On Oct. 12, 2023, the Senate voted to pass the bill on second reading. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate journal.) The bill later died in the House.

• (Historical) Senate Vote #1 - 2021: SPECIAL EDUCATION VOUCHERS

  Voted against a bill that would have created a special education voucher program, allowing parents to use public funds to privately purchase educational services. ATPE opposed this version of the bill.

  Senate Bill 1716 by Sen. Larry Taylor (R-Friendswood), 87th Legislature, Regular Session. The bill as filed would have created a special education voucher program, which ATPE opposed. The Senate voted to approve the bill on third reading, May 4, 2021. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate Journal.) The House later removed the voucher language from another version of SB 1716 that passed and was signed into law without objection from ATPE.

• (Historical) Senate Vote #2 - 2021: COMPENSATION

  Voted for an amendment that would have ensured teachers could keep pay raises they had received as a result of 2019 school finance legislation. ATPE supported the amendment.

  Senate Floor Amendment #14 by Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr. (D-Brownsville) to House Bill 1525 by Rep. Dan Huberty (R-Kingwood), 87th Legislature, Regular Session. On May 26, 2021, the Senate rejected the ATPE-supported amendment during its floor debate on a school finance clean-up bill. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate Journal.)

• (Historical) Senate Vote #3 - 2021: CIVICS AND CURRICULUM

  Voted against a bill that mandated changes to social studies curriculum standards, sought to ban the teaching of concepts that have been associated with "critical race theory," limited students' access to course credit for activities related to legislation, and restricted educators' discussions of controversial topics and current events in the classroom. ATPE opposed the bill.

  House Bill 3979 by Rep. Steve Toth, sponsored in the Senate by Sens. Brandon Creighton (R-Conroe) and Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola), 87th Legislature, Regular Session. On May 22, 2021, the Senate voted to pass the ATPE-opposed bill on third reading. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate Journal.) Read more about the bill here.

• (Historical) Senate Vote #4 - 2021: CIVICS AND CURRICULUM

  Voted against a bill passed during the second special session that replaced HB 3979 passed during the regular session. The bill requires the State Board of Education to change social studies curriculum standards and seeks to ban the teaching of concepts that have been associated with "critical race theory." SB 3 mandates a civics training academy for certain teachers and requires that teachers address controversial topics in an objective manner free from political bias. ATPE opposed the bill overall but supported House floor amendments that made the bill better than its predecessor, HB 3979.

  Senate Bill 3 by Sen. Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola), 87th Legislature, Second Called Session. The bill expanded upon and replaced HB 3979 that was passed during the regular session. The Senate voted Sept. 2, 2021, to concur in House amendments to the bill, thereby sending SB 3 to the governor for signature. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate Journal). Read more about SB 3 here.

• (Historical) Senate Vote #5 - 2021: HOME-SCHOOL UIL

  Voted against a bill that allows home-schooled students to participate in University Interscholastic League (UIL) activities on behalf of and at the expense of a school district without meeting the same academic requirements under "no pass, no play" rules that apply to public school students. ATPE opposed the bill.

  House Bill 547 by Rep. James Frank (R-Wichita Falls), sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Angela Paxton (R-McKinney), 87th Legislature, Regular Session. The Senate  amended the bill, removing House provisions that would have given coaches additional authority to verify home-schooled students' academic eligibility and allowed students served by the Texas Juvenile Justice Department to participate in UIL. The Senate passed the ATPE-opposed bill on third reading, May 22, 2021. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate Journal.) Read more about the bill here.

• (Historical) Senate Vote #6 - 2021: CHARTER SCHOOLS

  Voted against a bill that expands property tax exemptions for charter schools and those who lease property to a charter school. ATPE opposed the bill.

  House Bill 3610 by Rep. Barbara Gervin-Hawkins (D-San Antonio), sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Drew Springer (R-Muenster), 87th Legislature, Regular Session. The Senate passed the ATPE-opposed bill on third reading, May 22, 2021. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate Journal). Read more about the bill here.

• (Historical) Senate Vote #7 - 2021: CHARTER SCHOOLS

  Voted against a bill that would have weakened voter oversight of charter schools by making it harder for the elected State Board of Education to veto new charter applications and reducing local voters' input regarding where charter schools are allowed to locate. ATPE opposed the bill.

  Senate Bill 28 by Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston), 87th Legislature, Regular Session. The Senate passed the ATPE-opposed bill on third reading, April 15, 2021. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate Journal). SB 28 ultimately failed to pass the full Legislature. Read more about the bill here.

• (Historical) Senate Vote #8 - 2021: RETIREMENT

  Voted for a bill authorizing a one-time supplemental payment or "13th check" of up to $2,400 to TRS retirees. ATPE supported the bill.

  Senate Bill 7 by Sen. Joan Huffman (R-Houston), 87th Legislature, Second Called Session. On Aug. 9, 2021, the Senate voted to approve the ATPE-supported bill on third reading. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate Journal.)

• (Historical) Senate Vote #9 - 2021: VIRTUAL SCHOOLS

  Voted for a bill that would have expanded full-time virtual school programs statewide. ATPE opposed the bill.

  House Bill 1468 by Rep. Keith Bell (R-Forney), sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Larry Taylor (R-Friendswood), 87th Legislature, Regular Session. After the House and Senate passed different versions of the ATPE-opposed bill, HB 1468 was sent to a conference committee to generate a compromise version. On May 30, 2021, the Senate voted to pass the bill by adopting its conference committee report. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate Journal.) HB 1468 ultimately died when the House failed to vote on the conference committee report before the regular session ended.

• (Historical) Senate Vote #10 - 2021: VIRTUAL SCHOOLS

  Voted for a bill that expands funding and authorization for full-time virtual school programs statewide. ATPE opposed the bill.

  Senate Bill 15 by Sen. Larry Taylor (R-Friendswood), 87th Legislature, Second Called Session. Based on the ATPE-opposed HB 1468 that failed to pass in the regular session, SB 15 expands state funding options for students in full-time virtual schools. On Aug. 31, 2021, the Senate voted to concur in House amendments to the bill, thereby sending SB 15 to the governor's desk. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate Journal). Read more about the bill here.

• (Historical) Senate Vote #11 - 2021: ACCOUNTABILITY

  Voted against an accountability bill that would have significantly expanded the appointed education commissioner's power to investigate and take over the management of school districts. ATPE opposed this version of the bill.

  Senate Bill 1365 by Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston), 87th Legislature, Regular Session. The Senate passed its version of the school takeover bill, which ATPE opposed, on third reading, May 5, 2021. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate Journal.) SB 1365 was later amended favorably by the House, and the Legislature passed a final version of SB 1365 that ATPE did not oppose. Read more about the bill here.

• (Historical) Senate Vote #12 - 2021: TESTING/ACCELERATED INSTRUCTION

  Voted against a bill that eliminated the STAAR passage requirement for grade promotion but requires accelerated instruction for students who failed a STAAR test.

  House Bill 4545 by Rep. Harold Dutton (D-Houston), sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Larry Taylor (R-Friendswood), 87th Legislature, Regular Session. The Senate passed HB 4545 on third reading, May 26, 2021. (View an official record of the vote in the Senate Journal). Read more about the bill here.

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