Voice of the School Counselor - Texas Counseling Association

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6Celebrating a Successful Legislative SessionJan Friese, TCA Executive Director and Robin Rumancik, TCA PublicRelations CoordinatorWhat an amazing session! More TCA members were engaged, more of ourbills passed, more of you testified at committee hearings and more money wasallocated for both education and mental health. In the hectic final hours of thesession, many bills that were thought to have been beaten by the clock hitchedrides on moving legislation. TCA will be drilling into those bills and others toproduce a final 83rd Regular Legislative Session Report for your review in lateJune. The Governor has until June 16th to veto bills.Because some bills are immediately effective and others take effect as early asSeptember, many state agencies will be using expedited rule making provisionsto implement these new laws. Our quick analysis of legislation and the proposedrules will be essential to ensure the adopted rules are favorable to professionalcounselors. Please stay tuned-in and continue to advocate throughout the rulemakingprocess in the months ahead.In the meantime, here are a few highlights of the 83rd Regular LegislativeSession. Several bills that TCA actively supported were enacted this session:• SB 715 (Lucio/Farney) - amends the Education Code to provide consistentreference to “school counselor.” SB 715 was amended by the House to addthe language ofSB 925 and has been sent to the Governor.• SB 925 (Lucio/Farney) - adds Licensed Professional Counselors to Section21.003(b) of the Education Code, along with other professionals that schooldistricts may hire to enhance student support services. SB 925 passed theSenate and was amended onto SB 715 in the House.• SB 913 (Lucio/Naishtat) - changes from two to three the number of timescandidates for the LPC may take the licensing exam before having to takeadditional coursework or sit out for two years. SB 913 passed the House andhas been sent to the Governor.• HB 908 (Nevarez/Uresti) - adds LPCs to the providers authorized by statuteto conduct a protective order assessment for the elderly and disabled.• SB 1609 (Schwertner/Kolkhurst) - modifies the requirements for stafftraining by health care providers (including mental health providers).Other bills we had hoped would pass stalled-out after hearings in the SenateEducation Committee. These include bills to lower student-to-counselor ratiosand administrative workloads for school counselors. SB 401 (Lucio/Allen) whichwould have required schools to post web notices if a full time school counseloris not assigned to a campus. This was our last bill in play this session. After beingdiscussed in at least three committee meetings and twice by both the Senateand the House, the conference committee report for SB 401 failed to pass theHouse. This is the farthest this bill has made it through the process. The debatewas constructive and provides the legislation with a better position for the nextsession.As has been widely reported, a complex puzzle of bills passed in the finalhours to form the state budget. Funding for mental health and public educationwas increased over last session - which saw devastating cuts in those areas.Our request to increase Medicaid reimbursement rates for LPCs, LMFTs andLCSWs was considered but did not, in the end, make the list of riders in theAppropriation Bill. A slew of bills were filed to better protect Medicaid providerswho work with Managed Care Organizations, but only a few passed.Education reform was primarily addressed in HB 5 which significantlyreduces testing requirements and increases graduation plan options, though therecontinued on page 7Ashley Alcala2nd Place Junoir High/Middle School DivisionFarewellJose Villasenor, Irving ISDI have enjoyed being yourTSCA Media Chair this year.Working on the newsletter hasbeen an outstanding experience. Iappreciate all of the hard work thatthis group of volunteers does tokeep us well imformed and up todate on educational issues. Below isone of my favorite quotes.GratitudeCAN TRANSFORMMCOMMONDAYS INTOTHANKSGIVINGTURNROUTINE JOBSINTO JOY,AND CHANGEORDINARYOPPORTUNITIES INTOBLESSINGS.WILLIAM ARTHUR WARD
continued from page 6CelebratingJan Friese, TCA Executive Director andRobin Rumancik, TCA Public Relations Coordinatorwere several other bills that also addressed testing. Recognizing the impactof students’ mental health on school climate and student success, legislatorsattached to SB 460 and HB 3793 bills that would expand the scope of SchoolHealth Advisory Councils to include mental health, add a mental healthcomponent to teacher training, and provide local communities and schools theoption of receiving Mental Health First training.Campus security was another hot topic this session. Although HB 972,which would allow university officials to set their own rules regarding gunson their campuses, did not pass, SB 1907 which allows those with a concealedhandgun license to have firearms in their vehicles on college campuses wasenacted.The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Texas EducationAgency went through sunset review this session. SB 215 to reauthorize theCoordinating Board was enacted. SB 218 which would have abolished the StateBoard for Educator Certification as part of the TEA reauthorization did notpass. Instead, TEA was added to HB 1675 which extended the agency through2015.By almost any measure, we had a very successful session. This outcomeis a direct result of your commitment and advocacy. Each week, more than1,000 members read and acted on our Action Alert emails. More than 150professional counselors and students walked the halls of the Texas Capitol,making visits and testifying on key legislation. Thank YOU!In the weeks ahead, TCA staff will be drilling into the bills that did pass todetermine exactly how they will impact your work. In the meantime, to learnthe status of a bill, go to www.capitol.state.tx.us. Be sure to reference the “83rdRegular Session” in your search as the first called Special Session is alreadyunderway in Austin.Texas Counseling Association1204 San Antonio Suite 201Austin, Texas 78701txca.orgCounselor ResourcesValery Aguilar1st Place Intermediate Elementary DivisionCongratulationsNew OfficerCharles CrewsCounselorEducator VPProvide the best leadershipthrough relationships,conversation, and current issuesmoving the school counselingprofession forward.ASCA SCENEThis networking site is a professional meeting place forschool counseling professionals to share and learn fromeach other.Internet search “asca scene”National Office for School Counselor Advocacy (NOSCA)This site promotes the value of school counselors asleaders in school reform, student acheivement, and collegereadiness.Internet search “NOSCA.”Irvin Delgadillo2nd Place Primary Elementary Division7
Page 1: As we all close another school year

Voice of the School Counselor - Texas Counseling Association

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