Teachers; modifying definition of career teacher. Effective date.

The document header was changed from 'Committee Substitute' to 'House of Representatives - Floor Version' to indicate the bill has passed the committee stage and is now on the House floor for final consideration.

The document title was changed from 'Proposed Policy Committee Substitute' to 'Committee Substitute for Engrossed Senate Bill,' indicating a procedural shift in the legislative process.

The tracking number for the bill was updated from Req. No. 17229 to Req. No. 17426, and the date was changed from March 27, 2026, to April 13, 2026, reflecting the House Committee's amendment.

The sponsor attribution was adjusted to list 'Dossett of the Senate and Provenzano of the House,' formalizing the House's involvement in the bill's progression.

The requirements to become a 'career teacher' were simplified; the complex path requiring a 'superior' rating or specific average scores was removed, leaving only the path of completing three consecutive complete school years.

The provision allowing a principal to petition the superintendent for career status if a teacher met certain criteria but did not meet the standard requirements was deleted.

The effective date of the act was changed from July 1, 2026, to November 1, 2026.

The definition of 'career teacher' was rewritten to remove references to the TLE evaluation system's specific rating thresholds and the petition process.

The definition of 'career teacher' was updated to explicitly require evaluation ratings under the TLE system, replacing previous vague references to 'district evaluation ratings'.

The effective date of the legislation was changed from November 1, 2026, to July 1, 2026.

The bill title and enacting clause were revised to reflect that the legislation specifically relates to teachers and modifies the career teacher definition for evaluation purposes.

The effective date of the act was changed from July 1, 2026, to November 1, 2026.

New definitions for 'Suspension' and 'Teacher' were added to Section 6-101.3 to clarify these terms within the statute.

The bill's title and enacting clause were updated to reflect the final version of the legislation.