Enabling school districts to adopt partisan school district elections.

HB356 is a bill that would allow school districts to decide whether to hold partisan elections for their school board members. This means that candidates could run under a political party label, similar to how candidates run for other political offices. The bill was introduced on January 8, 2025, and went through several steps in the legislative process, including a vote to pass it in the House with an amendment on March 27, 2025. However, the Senate decided not to take action on the bill, and it was ultimately vetoed by the Governor on July 8, 2025. If passed, this bill would affect all school districts by giving them the option to change how their school board members are elected.

The bill has had several key actions and history highlights. It was first introduced and referred to the appropriate committees. The House passed it with an amendment, but the Senate did not act on it, leading to its eventual veto. This bill would change the way school board members are elected, potentially making the process more partisan.

As of the latest update, the bill has been vetoed by the Governor and is no longer under consideration. The decision to veto likely means that the Governor believes this change to school board elections is not in the best interest of the state at this time.