Bill Text: TX SB1889 | 2025-2026 | 89th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to vision screenings for students in public or private school, including vision screening information reporting for public school students and the creation of a matching grant program for visual devices for certain students.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2025-03-04 - Filed [SB1889 Detail]
Download: Texas-2025-SB1889-Introduced.html
| 89R15002 MPF-F | ||
| By: Schwertner | S.B. No. 1889 | |
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| relating to vision screenings for students in public or private | ||
| school, including vision screening information reporting for | ||
| public school students and the creation of a matching grant program | ||
| for visual devices for certain students. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 38, Education Code, is | ||
| amended by adding Sections 38.035 and 38.0351 to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 38.035. VISION SCREENING REPORTING. (a) Not later | ||
| than May 31 of each year, the agency shall post on the agency's | ||
| Internet website a report regarding the number of students in each | ||
| school district identified as having a vision disorder or other | ||
| vision problem under the screening program described by Section | ||
| 36.004, Health and Safety Code, disaggregated by: | ||
| (1) grade level; | ||
| (2) campus; | ||
| (3) gender; | ||
| (4) race; | ||
| (5) ethnicity; | ||
| (6) whether the student is educationally | ||
| disadvantaged; and | ||
| (7) the number of times the student was previously | ||
| identified as having a vision disorder or other vision problem. | ||
| (b) The commissioner by rule shall require each school | ||
| district to report through the Public Education Information | ||
| Management System (PEIMS) information necessary for the agency to | ||
| prepare the report required by this section. | ||
| Sec. 38.0351. MATCHING GRANT PROGRAM TO PROVIDE VISUAL | ||
| DEVICES FOR CERTAIN STUDENTS. (a) In this section, "eligible | ||
| student" means a student who: | ||
| (1) has been identified as having a vision disorder or | ||
| other vision problem under the screening program described by | ||
| Section 36.004, Health and Safety Code; | ||
| (2) is educationally disadvantaged; and | ||
| (3) is not covered by a health benefit plan that | ||
| provides vision care benefits. | ||
| (b) The agency shall establish and administer a matching | ||
| grant program to award to school districts grants to cover the costs | ||
| of providing to eligible students visual devices, including glasses | ||
| or contact lenses, by directly paying for or reimbursing an | ||
| eligible student's parent for the cost of a visual device. | ||
| (c) The agency shall develop eligibility and selection | ||
| criteria for grant applicants, including the amount of matching | ||
| money a grant applicant must provide for a grant award under this | ||
| section. The matching money may not be from state money. | ||
| (d) The commissioner shall adopt rules as necessary to | ||
| administer the matching grant program established under this | ||
| section. | ||
| (e) The agency may award a grant under this section only in | ||
| accordance with a contract between the agency and grant recipient. | ||
| The contract must include provisions under which the agency is | ||
| granted sufficient control to ensure the public purpose of | ||
| providing visual devices to eligible students is accomplished and | ||
| this state receives the return benefit. | ||
| SECTION 2. Section 36.004(b-1), Health and Safety Code, is | ||
| amended to read as follows: | ||
| (b-1) The rules must allow an individual who attends a | ||
| public or private school to be screened: | ||
| (1) using photoscreening to detect vision disorders; | ||
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| (2) using an electronic eye chart as a substitute for a | ||
| printed eye chart to assess visual acuity; and | ||
| (3) using visual screening techniques to detect depth | ||
| perception issues and color blindness. | ||
| SECTION 3. Section 36.006, Health and Safety Code, is | ||
| amended by adding Subsections (a-1) and (a-2) to read as follows: | ||
| (a-1) The form prescribed by the department under | ||
| Subsection (a) must include: | ||
| (1) separate spaces for the student's first and last | ||
| name; | ||
| (2) a space for the preschool's or school's name; | ||
| (3) a space for the student's grade level; | ||
| (4) information for a student's parent regarding | ||
| available resources for low-cost vision care; and | ||
| (5) information for a student's parent regarding the | ||
| student's potential eligibility to receive benefits under Medicaid | ||
| and the process for applying for those benefits. | ||
| (a-2) The department shall biennially update the form | ||
| information required under Subsection (a-1)(4). | ||
| SECTION 4. (a) As soon as practicable after the effective | ||
| date of this Act, the commissioner of education shall adopt rules | ||
| necessary to implement Sections 38.035 and 38.0351, Education Code, | ||
| as added by this Act. | ||
| (b) The executive commissioner of the Health and Human | ||
| Services Commission shall, as soon as practicable after the | ||
| effective date of this Act, adopt rules necessary to implement the | ||
| changes in law made by this Act to Chapter 36, Health and Safety | ||
| Code. | ||
| SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. | ||
