The ATPE Governmental Relations team recaps the past week’s education news, legislative and election updates, and regulatory developments. ATPE members: Share your thoughts and ask our lobby team questions in The Rotunda on the ATPE Online Community. 

• Texas House has busy week as deadlines pass to hear House bills  
• Senate Education K-16 finally holds hearing on HB 2, the school finance bill  
• HB 4, a major overhaul of state testing, has passed the House. Will the Senate take it up? 
• That’s a wrap for this year’s Capitol Expeditions!  
• Apply for Leadership ATPE by May 31 
• Celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week all month long with ATPE!  
• Check out the latest episode of The ATPE Podcast 
• Just three weeks remain to register at the lowest rate for the 2025 ATPE Summit 
• Use ATPE’s member advocacy tools to stay in the know and take action 

HOUSE: The Texas House had a busy week as it faced two of its biggest deadlines of the session—the May 12 deadline for House committees to report House bills out of committee, and the May 15 deadline for House bills to be considered on second reading on the House floor.    

Monday, May 12, was the deadline for House bills to be reported out of committee. Any bill not voted out of committee by the end of that day is likely dead, though they can be revived through procedural maneuvers, such as adding the bill to another bill that is still moving as an amendment. Among the procedurally dead bills is ATPE-opposed HB 5019 by Rep. Giovanni Capriglione (R–Keller), which would have taken away educators’ ability to use payroll deduction to pay their association dues. 

The House convened Thursday morning with more than 400 House bills on its agenda but only made it through approximately half before the midnight deadline. The mood on the House floor was hectic and chaotic as the clock crept closer to midnight, with lawmakers shouting over each other, denying time for other members to ask questions on bills, and the Speaker moving bills so quickly many members said they weren’t sure which bill they were on. Legislative staff filled the gallery to watch and cheer on their bosses as the clock struck 12.   

ATPE Lobbyist Tricia Cave provides a full breakdown in this blog post. 

SENATE: The Senate Education K-16 Committee met Thursday to hear the committee substitute for House Bill (HB) 2. The 225-page committee substitute was made public about an hour before the hearing began. The bill contains a mix of positive and negative provisions; for more details, check out this Teach the Vote post. ATPE submitted written testimony on CSHB 2. ATPE members Stephanie Stoebe and Twila Figueroa, who both serve on the ATPE Board of Directors, testified neutrally on the bill and expressed both praise and concerns. (Click on Stoebe’s and Figueroa’s names to watch their testimony.) CSHB 2 was left pending.  

ATPE Lobbyist Heather Sheffield covers additional education bills the Senate committee took up this week in this blog post. 

HB 4: On Tuesday, the Texas House passed House Bill (HB) 4, a major testing and accountability reform bill by Chairman Brad Buckley (R–Salado). As filed, ATPE found the bill’s provisions problematic, but we supported the bill after a major redraft in committee.   

HB 4 would transition from STAAR to a nationally norm-referenced test, creating three short, online through-year tests meant to more accurately measure student growth instead of a student’s performance on one test on one day. Teachers would receive feedback within 24 hours to help inform their instruction. For more on the differences between STAAR and HB 4, please see our previous reporting.   

Lawmakers adopted seven amendments to HB 4 on the House floor, including requirements for parental access to test results, special education waivers, and a grace period for campus turnaround plans. 

ATPE encourages educators to use this Advocacy Central campaign to contact their state senator and urge them to push for action on HB 4.   

CAPITOL EXPEDITION: Thank you to the following ATPE members who participated in this week’s Capitol Expedition: Past State President Cheryl Buchanan, Ballinger; Region 13 ATPE Vice President Shagufta Ellam, Round Rock; Region 1 ATPE Director Twila Figueroa, McAllen; Darlene Kelly, Ballinger; Patti Morton Gibbs, Nocona; Dedra Robertson, Katy; Michael Robinson, Willis; ATPE State Secretary Eli Rodriguez, Cypress-Fairbanks; and Region 15 ATPE President Karen Thompson, Ballinger. 

And a special thank-you to all attendees for making the inaugural round of Capitol Expeditions a success! All of these members were eligible to attend because they have earned the ATPE Member Advocate Program (ATPE-MAP) State-Level Advocacy Microcredential.  

If you’re interested in earning your state-level microcredential, as well as the recently released ATPE-MAP Local Advocacy Microcredential, visit atpe.org/member-advocate-program.  

ATPE members meet with Andy Dareing, Legislative Director for Rep. Hubert Vo.

Patti Morton Gibbs with her Representative, David Spiller.

ATPE members meet with staff in Rep. David Spiller's office.

ATPE members meet with Legislative Aide Molly Brown in Rep. Jeff Leach's office.

ATPE members share an elevator with Rep. Rhetta Bowers.

ATPE State Secretary Eli Rodriguez and Patti Morton Gibbs register positions on bills in the House Public Education Committee.

ATPE Events Director Andrea Elizondo with Rep. James Talarico.

Left to right: Eli Rodriguez, Dedra Robertson, Cheryl Buchanan, Darlene Kelly, Karen Thompson, Twila Figueroa, Patti Morton Gibbs, Shagufta Ellam, Michael Robinson.

Dedra Robertson, Shagufta Ellam, Eli Rodriguez.

Dedra Robertson, Andrea Elizondo, Heather Sheffield, Senator Sarah Eckhardt, Karen Thompson.

ATPE members with Rep. Alma Allen. Left to right: Karen Thompson, Eli Rodriguez, Patti Morton Gibbs, Dedra Robertson, Rep. Alma Allen, Cheryl Buchanan, Twila Figueroa, Darlene Kelly, Shagufta Ellam, Michael Robinson.

ATPE members with Rep. Sam Harless.

ATPE members with Rep. Donna Howard.

ATPE members meet with Chief of Staff James Cook from Rep. Sam Harless's office.

Sen. Nathan Johnson, Patti Morton Gibbs, Eli Rodriguez.

ATPE members meet with an aide from Vice Chair Diego Bernal's office.

Left to right - Karen Thompson, Michael Robinson, Darlene Kelly, Cheryl Buchanan, Eli Rodriguez, Patti Morton Gibbs, Shagufta Ellam, Twila Figueroa, Dedra Robertson.

ATPE members enjoy dinner before their Capitol Expedition. Clockwise, beginning at bottom: ATPE Lobbyist Heather Sheffield, Michael Robinson, Dedra Robertson, ATPE Events Director Andrea Elizondo, ATPE Executive Director Shannon Holmes, ATPE State Secretary Eli Rodriguez, ATPE Region 1 Director Twila Figueroa, ATPE Past President Cheryl Buchanan, Karen Thompson, Darlene Kelly, ATPE Lobbyist Tricia Cave, Shagufta Ellam, Patti Morton Gibbs.

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LEADERSHIP ATPE: Another great way to get involved in local and state advocacy is by applying for the next Leadership ATPE cohort. Leadership ATPE is a dynamic one-year educational program that focuses on the skills emerging leaders need to best serve their schools and communities. Applications will be accepted through Saturday, May 31. Katy ATPE member Lena Angel, who testified against the Senate’s payroll deduction bill during the April 1 Capitol Expedition, shares her experience with Leadership ATPE in this atpenews.org story. Learn more about the program and apply at atpe.org/leadership-atpe. 

TEACHER APPRECIATION: ATPE is celebrating Texas public school teachers all month long! We’ve made it easy for you to show your appreciation, too! Send a shoutout to a public school colleague, your child’s favorite public school teacher, or even your favorite still-employed public school teacher. ATPE will review submitted shoutouts and post them on our Show Texas Teachers Love interactive map. Each nominated public school teacher will also be entered into weekly drawings for $100 gift cards throughout May! Learn more and send your shoutouts at atpe.org/teacher-appreciation. Help us show Texas teachers love!  

PODCAST: In the newest episode of The ATPE Podcast, ATPE Engagement & Learning Specialist Andrea Hutlock dives into the power of in-person events for educators—from local meetups to statewide conferences. Check out the episode here. 

SUMMIT: Just three weeks remain to register at the lowest rate, book rooms in the official housing block, and be certified as a delegate for the 2025 ATPE Summit—the deadline is June 6. If you would like to be a delegate this year, reach out to your local unit president (or region president if you are an at-large member). All members must register themselves, and this process is separate from the delegate certification process.  

We look forward to seeing you July 7–9 at the JW Marriott Austin Downtown. Learn more and register at atpesummit.org. 

MEMBER ADVOCACY: Don’t forget to check out all of ATPE’s advocacy resources: 

• Judy: Chat with ATPE’s new AI assistant for Texas educators, ready to help you with all things ATPE and all things #txed. Check out our interview with Judy at atpenews.org.  
• The ATPE Bill Tracker: Find out the status of the major education bills moving through the Texas House and Senate, as well as ATPE’s position on each bill.   
• ATPE’s 2025 Legislative Priorities: Catch up on ATPE’s written and oral testimony from this session.    
• Advocacy Central: Urge the Senate to act on HB 4 (the testing and accountability bill), and share your feedback on the Senate version of HB 2, the school finance bill. 
• ATPE Member Advocate Program (ATPE-MAP): Enroll in ATPE-MAP to earn the state-level and recently released local-level advocacy microcredential, as well as earn continuing professional education (CPE) credit. ATPE-MAP is included in your member benefits, so check it out today.    
• The Rotunda: Don’t forget, members, that you can interact with your ATPE lobby team throughout the week when you log in to the ATPE Online Community. (While you’re there, be sure to check out the latest Regional Advocacy Challenge (RAC) standings.)