Texas House Barely Completes Quorum Today; Sustains HB 400

The Texas house has sustained a controversial bill that would lower teacher pay and increase the number of children in each classroom. HB 400 eliminates the 22-to-1 cap on the size of K through 4 classrooms, by changing the standard to a district-wide average and permanently eliminates the minimum salary for teachers, counselors, nurses, and librarians, replacing the salary floor with a mandate for districts to institute test-driven “performance pay.”

Texas house convened at 10 am with 113 members present, meeting the required amount of members to complete the quorum. 100 out of the 150 members of the Texas House must be present to allow debating and voting on bills. Rampant absences from members of both parties created a question of whether or not legislative proceedings today could commence. Some absent members had excused absences.