Texas House bill by Rep. Leo Wilson allows State Board of Education members to join state health plan

Passed bill authored by State Rep. Terri Leo-Wilson aims to expand eligibility for the state employees group benefits program to include State Board of Education members who apply and pay contributions, according to the Texas Legislature website.

In the House, 50 Democrats and 81 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, with no opposition.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, 10 Democrats and 20 Republicans voted in favor, while one Democrat voted against it.

Terri Leo-Wilson introduced the bill in the Texas House on Monday, Feb. 24, during the 89th regular legislative session.

Leo-Wilson graduated from Texas A&M University with a BS.

Leo-Wilson, a Republican, was elected to the Texas State House in 2023 to represent the state’s 23rd House district, replacing previous state representative Mayes Middleton.

According to the Texas Legislature, the bill’s official text was summarized as follows: ‘Relating to the eligibility of members of the State Board of Education and their dependents to participate in the state employees group benefits program’.

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, the bill amends the Insurance Code to allow members of the State Board of Education to participate in a health benefit plan offered under the state employees group benefits program, provided they apply to the board of trustees and arrange for payment of contributions. The bill specifies that such participants are not eligible to receive state contributions for premiums. This act is set to take effect Sept. 1, 2025.

The bill was co-authored by Rep. Alma Allen (Democrat – District 131) and Rep. Brad Buckley (Republican – District 54), along with two other authors.

The bill received its final legislative approval on Monday, May 26, and was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday, June 20.

Bills in Texas go through a multi-step legislative process, including committee review, debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching a final decision. Each session, there are typically thousands of bills introduced, but only a portion successfully navigate the process to become law.

You can read more about the bills and other measures here.