HP 500 — Joint Order Summary
Overview
- Type: Joint Order
- Title: Joint Order, To Require The Joint Standing Committee On Education And Cultural Affairs To Report Out A Bill Prohibiting Educational Institutions From Being Members Of Certain Organizations
- Purpose: Directs the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs to report out a bill that would prohibit educational institutions from belonging to certain organizations. The exact scope and definitions would be established in the proposed bill.
- Status: Dead (Died in Possession of the Senate when the Legislature adjourned Sine Die; placed in the Legislative Files)
What the bill aims to do
- The Joint Order does not itself enact a prohibition. Instead, it mandates the committee to draft and report out a bill that would prohibit educational institutions from becoming members of “certain organizations.” The specific organizations, the type of educational institutions covered (e.g., public schools, colleges, universities), membership forms (boards, associations, or other entities), and any exceptions would be defined in the subsequent bill produced by the committee.
Key provisions and potential areas the eventual bill would address (to be defined in the drafted bill)
- Definitions: What counts as an “educational institution” and what constitutes “membership” in the named organizations.
- Scope: Which institutions are covered (e.g., K-12 districts, public colleges/universities, private institutions, or all publicly funded entities).
- Prohibited affiliations: The specific organizations or categories of organizations to which membership is prohibited.
- Exceptions: Potential exemptions (e.g., membership required by law, or transitional provisions for existing memberships).
- Enforcement and penalties: How compliance would be monitored and any consequences for violations.
- Effective date: When the prohibitions would take effect, if enacted.
- Oversight and reporting: Any required reporting or sunset provisions.
Procedural and timeline context
- 2025-03-04: The Joint Order was READ and REFERRED to the Committee on Judiciary; sent for concurrence.
- 2025-03-11: Bill/Order tabled until later in the session, pending passage in non-concurrence.
- 2025-03-21: Carried over to the next special or regular session of the 132nd Legislature, pursuant to Joint Order SP 519.
- 2025-06-25: Died in Possession of the Senate when the Legislature adjourned Sine Die; placed in the Legislative Files (dead).
Impact and considerations
- Legislative intent is to restrict certain organizational memberships for educational institutions, shaping governance and affiliation choices.
- Because this is a procedural directive to draft a bill, the actual policy impact depends on the content of the eventual enacted bill, including which organizations are targeted and how enforcement would operate.
- Stakeholders likely include school and university administrators, school boards, student groups, and organizations whose memberships could be affected.
Next steps
- If interested, monitor for a future bill drafted under the committee’s direction, or any new joint orders that advance the same objective in subsequent sessions.
