---
type: "Bill"
title: "Relating to improving training and staff development for primary and secondary educators to enable them to more effectively serve all students."
description: "Relating to improving training and staff development for primary and secondary educators to enable them to more effectively serve all students."
jurisdiction: "us/states/tx"
legislature: "Texas Legislature"
session: "87"
identifier: "HB 159"
citation: "Texas HB 159 (87)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Disabilities", "Persons with (I0380)", "EDUCATOR CERTIFICATION", "STATE BOARD FOR (V0492)", "Education--Primary & Secondary--Other School Personnel (I0246)", "Education--Primary & Secondary--Special (I0243)", "Education--Primary & Secondary--Teachers (I0242)", "STAFF DEVELOPMENT & TRAINING (S0317)"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["González, Mary", "Harris", "Lucio", "Ramos"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 47
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2020-11-09"
last_action: "2021-06-04"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/fedb57d1-c957-45d5-a1dd-948582be07b2"
source_url: "ftp://ftp.legis.state.tx.us/bills/87R/billhistory/house_bills/HB00100_HB00199/HB 159.xml"
source_hash: "719bcd32af362c418195216bfa5ef6ab17bea7c79b73a521cc72c466e62e9d19"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-tx"]
---

# Texas HB 159 (87) — Relating to improving training and staff development for primary and secondary educators to enable them to more effectively serve all students.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Introduced** (filed) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/html/HB00159I.HTM)
2. **Engrossed** (committee substitute) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/html/HB00159E.HTM)
3. **House Committee Report** (committee substitute) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/html/HB00159H.HTM)
4. **Senate Committee Report** (committee substitute) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/html/HB00159S.HTM)
5. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/html/HB00159F.HTM)

## Votes

- passage — **22–8** (pass) · upper
- passage — **103–42** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- González, Mary — primary (person)
- Harris — primary (person)
- Lucio — primary (person)
- Ramos — primary (person)
- Alvarado — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2020-11-09** Filed `filing`
- **2021-02-25** Read first time `introduction, reading-1`
- **2021-02-25** Referred to Public Education `referral-committee`
- **2021-03-16** Considered in public hearing
- **2021-03-16** Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
- **2021-03-16** Left pending in committee
- **2021-03-23** Considered in public hearing
- **2021-03-23** Reported favorably w/o amendment(s) `committee-passage`
- **2021-04-01** Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator
- **2021-04-01** Committee report distributed
- **2021-04-01** Committee report sent to Calendars
- **2021-04-27** Considered in Calendars
- **2021-04-30** Considered in Calendars
- **2021-05-03** Placed on General State Calendar
- **2021-05-03** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2021-05-03** Passed to engrossment
- **2021-05-03** Nonrecord vote recorded in Journal
- **2021-05-04** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2021-05-04** Passed `passage`
- **2021-05-04** Record vote
- **2021-05-04** Reported engrossed
- **2021-05-05** Received from the House `introduction`
- **2021-05-10** Read first time `introduction, reading-1`
- **2021-05-10** Referred to Education `referral-committee`
- **2021-05-13** Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
- **2021-05-13** Considered in public hearing
- **2021-05-13** Testimony taken in committee
- **2021-05-14** Reported favorably w/o amendments `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-05-17** Committee report printed and distributed
- **2021-05-18** Placed on intent calendar
- **2021-05-20** Rules suspended-Regular order of business
- **2021-05-20** Record vote
- **2021-05-20** Read 2nd time & passed to 3rd reading
- **2021-05-20** Record vote
- **2021-05-20** Three day rule suspended
- **2021-05-20** Record vote
- **2021-05-20** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2021-05-20** Passed `passage`
- **2021-05-20** Record vote
- **2021-05-20** Senate passage reported
- **2021-05-21** Reported enrolled
- **2021-05-23** Signed in the House
- **2021-05-24** Signed in the Senate
- **2021-05-24** Sent to the Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2021-05-26** Co-sponsor authorized
- **2021-06-04** Signed by the Governor `executive-signature`
- **2021-06-04** Effective on 9/1/21 `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/fedb57d1-c957-45d5-a1dd-948582be07b2`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Texas legislature records).