---
type: "Bill"
title: "Relating to excused absences from public school for certain students to obtain a driver's license or learner license."
description: "Relating to excused absences from public school for certain students to obtain a driver's license or learner license."
jurisdiction: "us/states/tx"
legislature: "Texas Legislature"
session: "87"
identifier: "SB 289"
citation: "Texas SB 289 (87)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Education--Driver Education & Training (I0219)", "Education--Primary & Secondary--Admission & Attendance (I0227)", "Vehicles & Traffic--Driver's Licenses (I0840)"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Seliger", "VanDeaver"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 50
vote_count: 0
first_action: "2021-01-06"
last_action: "2021-06-14"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/857e855f-8ed6-45a0-901c-d4c8779cecbd"
source_url: "ftp://ftp.legis.state.tx.us/bills/87R/billhistory/senate_bills/SB00200_SB00299/SB 289.xml"
source_hash: "7ac3dc8c3d6192ed5b9c1981770aadc116463762d0d7046d828ca809f03f3dba"
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 SB 289 (87) — Relating to excused absences from public school for certain students to obtain a driver's license or learner license.

## 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/SB00289I.HTM)
2. **Engrossed** (committee substitute) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/html/SB00289E.HTM)
3. **House Committee Report** (committee substitute) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/html/SB00289H.HTM)
4. **Senate Committee Report** (committee substitute) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/html/SB00289S.HTM)
5. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/html/SB00289F.HTM)

## Sponsors

- Seliger — primary (person)
- VanDeaver — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2021-01-06** Received by the Secretary of the Senate `filing`
- **2021-01-06** Filed `filing`
- **2021-03-03** Read first time `introduction, reading-1`
- **2021-03-03** Referred to Education `referral-committee`
- **2021-03-25** Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
- **2021-03-25** Considered in public hearing
- **2021-03-25** Left pending in committee
- **2021-03-31** Considered in public hearing
- **2021-04-01** Reported favorably w/o amendments `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-04-01** Recommended for local & uncontested calendar
- **2021-04-01** Committee report printed and distributed
- **2021-04-07** Placed on intent calendar
- **2021-04-09** Placed on local & uncontested calendar
- **2021-04-09** Laid before the Senate
- **2021-04-09** Read 2nd time & passed to engrossment
- **2021-04-09** Vote recorded in Journal
- **2021-04-09** Three day rule suspended
- **2021-04-09** Record vote
- **2021-04-09** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2021-04-09** Passed `passage`
- **2021-04-09** Record vote
- **2021-04-09** Reported engrossed
- **2021-04-12** Received from the Senate `introduction`
- **2021-04-15** Read first time `introduction, reading-1`
- **2021-04-15** Referred to Public Education `referral-committee`
- **2021-04-27** Considered in public hearing
- **2021-04-27** Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
- **2021-04-27** Left pending in committee
- **2021-05-03** Considered in formal meeting
- **2021-05-03** Recommended to be sent to Local & Consent `referral-committee`
- **2021-05-03** Reported favorably w/o amendment(s) `committee-passage`
- **2021-05-13** Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator
- **2021-05-13** Committee report distributed
- **2021-05-14** Comm. report sent to Local & Consent Calendar
- **2021-05-23** Considered in Local & Consent Calendars
- **2021-05-26** Placed on Local, Consent, and Res. Calendar
- **2021-05-26** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2021-05-26** Passed to 3rd reading
- **2021-05-26** Nonrecord vote recorded in Journal
- **2021-05-26** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2021-05-26** Passed `passage`
- **2021-05-26** Record vote
- **2021-05-26** Nonrecord vote recorded in Journal
- **2021-05-27** House passage reported
- **2021-05-27** Reported enrolled
- **2021-05-29** Signed in the Senate
- **2021-05-29** Signed in the House
- **2021-05-29** Sent to the Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2021-06-14** Signed by the Governor `executive-signature`
- **2021-06-14** Effective immediately `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/857e855f-8ed6-45a0-901c-d4c8779cecbd`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Texas legislature records).