BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 699

By: Frank

Public Education

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Pursuant to H.B. 547, which was passed by the Texas Legislature in 2021 and provided for the participation of home-schooled students in University Interscholastic League (UIL) activities, UIL approved a rule to calculate a school's UIL classification based on a new enrollment formula for a public school that allows home-schooled students to participate in their UIL activities. This formula weighted the enrollment of such a school by a factor of 1.2, increasing a school's enrollment regardless of how many home-schooled students participate. Although ultimately vetoed by the commissioner of education, the rule would have potentially raised the classification of any school that allows home-schooled students to participate, thus indirectly discouraging schools from allowing such participation. H.B. 699 seeks to prevent discouragement of home-schooled student participation in UIL activities by requiring UIL, for classification purposes, to calculate student enrollment using the same formula regardless of whether a school allows home-schooled students to participate in UIL activities.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

H.B. 699 amends the Education Code to require the University Interscholastic League (UIL), when classifying a public school based on student enrollment, to use the same student enrollment calculation formula for a school that allows a non-enrolled student to participate in a UIL activity as the formula used to determine the enrollment of a school that does not allow such a student to participate in the activity. The bill's provisions apply beginning with the 2023-2024 school year.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2023.