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Signed Into Law
Signed June 20, 2025Effective 2025-09-01
SB13

Regular Session

Relating to a school district's library materials and catalog, the establishment of local school library advisory councils, and parental rights regarding public school library catalogs and access by the parent's child to library materials.

Government Affairs & Regulatory Compliance Analysis

SB13: Government Affairs Overview

SB13 mandates a radical restructuring of school library procurement and student data privacy, requiring districts to implement "pre-purchase" public review periods and real-time parental access to checkout history. Compliance is mandatory for all Texas school districts and requires immediate software architecture updates from EdTech vendors to support new statutory "opt-out" and reporting features.

Sen. Angela Paxton·Senate Bill·Regular Session

Critical
Medium Cost
Effective:2025-09-01
Enforcing Agencies

Local School District Boards of Trustees • Texas Education Agency (TEA) • Texas State Library and Archives Commission

Business Impact

Who SB13 Affects

This legislation has regulatory implications for the following Texas businesses and organizations:

Regulatory Priority: critical

Significant regulatory changes (effective 2025-09-01). Review with your legal and compliance teams to understand implications.

🎓

Education

Affected business types:

  • School districts
  • Charter schools
  • Private schools
  • Education service providers
View all education legislation

Key Operational Considerations

  • 1Librarians & Aides: Staff must be trained on the "Kill Switch" protocol—the statutory requirement to immediately remove access to a book upon receipt of a challenge, prior to any review process.
  • 2Circulation Staff: Training is required to cross-reference every checkout against individual student "No-Fly" lists provided by parents.

Estimated Cost Impact

mediumModerate costs expected for implementation.

Enforcing Agencies

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SB13
Critical
Relating to a school district's library materials and catalog, the establishment of local school library advisory councils, and parental rights regard...
Critical Compliance Urgency
Requires immediate attention
Cost Impact
Medium
Effective
2025-09-01
Enforcing Agencies
Local School District Boards of ...TEATexas State Library and Archives...
Primary Author: Sen. Angela Paxton
89th Texas Legislature
jdkey.com
01

Compliance Analysis

Key implementation requirements and action items for compliance with this legislation

Implementation Timeline

  • Effective Date: September 1, 2025
  • Compliance Deadline: August 2025 (Section 7 mandates acquisition policies be adopted *before* the first day of the 2025-2026 school year).
  • Agency Rulemaking:
  • TEA: Must release a mandatory "Challenge Form" and model acquisition policy as soon as practicable.
  • TSLAC: Must adopt new collection development standards by April 1, 2026.
  • Regulatory Gray Zone: Districts must adopt policies in August 2025 *before* TSLAC finalizes standards in April 2026. Policies drafted now must include flexibility clauses to accommodate future TSLAC rules.

Immediate Action Plan

  • Audit Software Capabilities: Immediately verify if your current Library Management System can restrict specific titles for specific students. If not, initiate vendor discussions or RFP processes now.
  • Draft Acquisition Policy: Legal counsel must draft the local policy for Board review by July 2025 to meet the August deadline. Do not wait for the TEA model policy.
  • Adjust Procurement Calendars: Shift book ordering schedules back by 60 days to accommodate the new 30-day public posting window.
  • Establish "Kill Switch" Workflow: Create a physical and digital workflow to remove challenged books from shelves and catalogs within 24 hours of a filing.

Operational Changes Required

Contracts

  • LMS/LIS Vendors (e.g., Follett, PowerSchool): Master Services Agreements (MSAs) must be amended to require functionality for (1) real-time parental access to specific student checkout history and (2) individual student "opt-out" restrictions enforced at the point of sale/checkout.
  • Book Distributors: Purchase orders must include warranties that the vendor has screened materials for "sexually explicit" content. Contracts must include a "Right of Return" clause for materials challenged and removed within 12 months of purchase.

Hiring/Training

  • Librarians & Aides: Staff must be trained on the "Kill Switch" protocol—the statutory requirement to immediately remove access to a book upon receipt of a challenge, prior to any review process.
  • Circulation Staff: Training is required to cross-reference every checkout against individual student "No-Fly" lists provided by parents.

Reporting & Record-Keeping

  • Procurement Manifests: Districts must post a list of *proposed* acquisitions (including donations) for public review 30 days prior to final Board approval.
  • Challenge Documentation: Districts must utilize the forthcoming TEA-mandated form for all challenges and maintain a repository of these filings.
  • Advisory Council Transparency: If a Local School Library Advisory Council is formed, audio/video recordings of meetings must be posted to the district website within 10 days.

Fees & Costs

  • Budget Cycle Impact: The 30-day public review requirement extends the procurement cycle by at least 45 days. Funds must be encumbered earlier in the fiscal year to ensure delivery.
  • Software Costs: Expect increased licensing fees from vendors to cover the development costs of new parental portals and notification systems.

Strategic Ambiguities & Considerations

  • "Immediate" Prohibition: The statute requires prohibiting access to challenged material "immediately" but does not define the timeframe. Guidance: Define "immediate" in local policy as "within 24 hours or one school business day" to establish a defensible standard of care.
  • Vendor Rating Gaps: The law prohibits purchasing "sexually explicit" material but does not specify protocol if a vendor fails to provide a rating. Guidance: Treat unrated materials as high-risk; require vendor certification of non-explicit content before purchase.
  • The "Freeze" Duration: A challenge triggers an immediate freeze. With Council review and Board scheduling, a single challenge can remove a book from circulation for 90+ days regardless of the final merit of the complaint.

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JD Key Consulting specializes in Texas regulatory compliance strategy. Work directly with James Dickey—former Chairman of the Republican Party of Texas—to understand this bill's impact on your operations and develop an actionable compliance plan.

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Information presented is for general knowledge only and is provided without warranty, express or implied. Consult qualified government affairs professionals and legal counsel before making compliance decisions.

02

Legislative Timeline

This bill's path through the Texas Legislature

Filed
Feb 12, 2025
Passed Senate
Mar 19, 2025
Passed House
May 28, 2025
Signed
Jun 20, 2025
Effective
Sep 1, 2025
TopicsEducationEducation--primary & SecondaryEducation--primary & Secondary--generalEducation--school DistrictsFamilyFamily--parent & ChildLibraries & LibrariansPurchasingPurchasing--localLibrary Collection Development & MaterialsParental RightsEducation Agency, TexasElectronic Information SystemsPublic NoticeState Library & Archives Commission, Texas
03

Senate Authors

Sen. Angela PaxtonRepublican · Primary Author
Joint Authors

House Sponsors

Rep. Phil KingRepublican · Primary Sponsor
Joint Sponsors

Bill Text(with markup)

Showing first 50k characters.

View bill text in multiple formats on Texas Legislature website

Fiscal NoteView Original

Related Legislation

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More from Sen. Angela Paxton

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Related by Topic

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Quick Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about SB13

Q

What does Texas SB13 do?

SB13 mandates a radical restructuring of school library procurement and student data privacy, requiring districts to implement "pre-purchase" public review periods and real-time parental access to checkout history. Compliance is mandatory for all Texas school districts and requires immediate software architecture updates from EdTech vendors to support new statutory "opt-out" and reporting features.

Q

Who authored SB13?

SB13 was authored by Texas Senator Angela Paxton during the Regular Session.

Q

When was SB13 signed into law?

SB13 was signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott on June 20, 2025.

Q

Which agencies enforce SB13?

SB13 is enforced by Local School District Boards of Trustees, Texas Education Agency (TEA) and Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Q

How significant are the changes in SB13?

The regulatory priority for SB13 is rated as "critical". Businesses and organizations should review the legislation to understand potential impacts.

Q

What is the cost impact of SB13?

The cost impact of SB13 is estimated as "medium". This may vary based on industry and implementation requirements.

Q

What topics does SB13 address?

SB13 addresses topics including education, education--primary & secondary, education--primary & secondary--general, education--school districts and family.

Q

What are the key dates for SB13?

Key dates for SB13: Effective date is 2025-09-01. Rulemaking: Adopt and make available a model policy for the acquisition of library materials. (As soon as practicable after effective date); Adopt and post a mandatory form for submitting written challenges to library materials. (Undetermined (Immediate upon effect)). Consult with legal counsel regarding applicability.

Q

What are the penalties under SB13?

SB13 establishes the following penalties: administrative/operational penalty of Immediate Access Freeze for Receipt of a written challenge to library material (Sec. 33.027(g) requires prohibiting student access to material immediately pending final resolution).. Consult with legal counsel for specific applicability to your situation.

Need Strategic Guidance on This Legislation?

JD Key Consulting is an Austin, Texas-based government affairs firm led by James Dickey, former Chairman of the Republican Party of Texas. We specialize in Texas regulatory compliance and legislative strategy for data centers, energy, banking, and manufacturing.

Legislative data provided by LegiScanLast updated: January 11, 2026