Rep. Eric Johnson with his son William on opening day of the legislature
Dallas Rep. Eric Johnson’s had a busy and successful session. His HB674 passed the House 135-10 and the Texas Senate by a vote of 22-9 and awaits signature by Gov. Greg Abbott.
The bill bans out-of-school suspensions for students in pre-K through second grade except in cases involving drugs, weapons or extreme violence. The law will also encourage school districts to implement research-based, positive disciplinary alternatives to out-of-school suspension.
“This might be the most important bill I’ve ever passed,” Johnson said. “The school-to-prison pipeline must be addressed in Texas, and this bill helps to shut off that pipeline by requiring us to work with some of our most vulnerable kids, rather than labeling them and writing them off.”
In addition, he got an employment non-discrimination bill and a gender pay parity bill out of committee and through the House.
Those are quite a few accomplishments during a session where the biggest priority has been making the lives of transgender people miserable.