A Senate Education Committee on Feb. 2025 voted unanimously to send First Substitute House Bill 144, a measure aimed at increasing transparency around certain settlement agreements between the U.S. Department of Justice and local school districts, to the full Senate.

The bill’s sponsor, Representative DeFe, told the committee, “This is an important bill. This is a transparency bill,” and said the measure would “direct[] the attorney general's office to reveal to, to review a contractor settlement agreement between the DOJ and a school district” and to disclose that agreement to the local board of education.

Nut graf: Proponents said the change responds to concerns in a local district about limited visibility into a past DOJ settlement and would create a formal role for the attorney general to review and recommend whether third-party contractor settlement terms require disclosure to the school board.

Committee discussion was brief. The motion to recommend the bill favorably came from Senator Baldry; the chair put the question and ruled the vote unanimous. The committee did not record further debate or amendments during the hearing.

Background and details: Representative DeFe said the bill grew out of a contract entered into by the Department of Justice with the sponsor’s local LEA about five years earlier. The bill as presented instructs the attorney general’s office to review contractor settlement agreements between the DOJ and a school district and to disclose those agreements and any recommendations to the affected local board of education. The sponsor characterized the measure as guidance and transparency rather than as a directive imposing new penalties or sanctions.

Ending: The bill will appear next on the Senate floor calendar for consideration by the full Senate.