Texas schools could not start classes until the first Monday in September under a "Save Our Summer Act" that state Rep. Jared Patterson filed Monday, one of eight bills he put in on the first day of filing for the 2027 legislative session.
Patterson represents House District 106, which covers about 21% of Prosper's residents, the Denton County side of town, along with about 40% of Frisco, according to the Texas Legislative Council. The state's online record of Monday filings lists all eight under his name.
School calendar
House Bill 394 would move the earliest allowed first day of instruction from the fourth Monday in August to the first Monday in September. It would also stop districts of innovation from exempting themselves from the start-date rule. Year-round systems would keep an exception, and the bill would apply beginning in the 2028-29 school year.
Property taxes
HB 563 would cut the cap on yearly increases in a homestead's appraised value from 10% to 3%, plus the value of new improvements. It would take effect Jan. 1, 2028, only if voters approve a constitutional amendment allowing the lower limit.
Children and safety
- HB 212 would bar anyone under 16 from using social media platforms, to the extent federal law allows, and require platforms to verify an account holder's age through a commercially reasonable method.
- HB 445 would create a criminal trespass offense on or near school or day-care property; the bill counts public streets, parks and sidewalks as public property for that purpose.
- HB 615 would bar a registered sex offender whose victim was under 18 from going within 1,000 feet of the home of the victim or the victim's family.
Other measures
Patterson also filed bills on workers' compensation claims for peace officers, firefighters, EMTs and detention officers (HB 301); prosecuting politically motivated murders as capital murder (HB 477); and limiting who may enter a gestational surrogacy agreement based on citizenship status or ties to a foreign terrorist organization (HB 511).
