By: Cuellar, H. H.B. No. 41 73R531 JRD-F A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to the establishment of the Texas Academy of Foreign 1-3 Languages and Culture. 1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-5 SECTION 1. Chapter 11, Education Code, is amended by adding 1-6 Subchapter H to read as follows: 1-7 SUBCHAPTER H. TEXAS ACADEMY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND CULTURE 1-8 Sec. 11.921. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter: 1-9 (1) "Academy" means the Texas Academy of Foreign 1-10 Languages and Culture. 1-11 (2) "Agency" means the Central Education Agency. 1-12 (3) "Director" means the director of the academy. 1-13 Sec. 11.922. ACADEMY. (a) The academy is established in 1-14 the agency. 1-15 (b) The agency shall employ a director and other personnel 1-16 necessary to administer this subchapter. 1-17 (c) The agency may adopt rules to administer this 1-18 subchapter. 1-19 (d) The agency may receive appropriations and may receive 1-20 gifts and grants to implement this subchapter. 1-21 (e) The purpose of the academy is to: 1-22 (1) advance the study of foreign languages and 1-23 cultures in Texas; and 1-24 (2) advance educational and cultural exchange between 2-1 Texas and current and prospective trade partners. 2-2 Sec. 11.923. CONTRACTS. (a) The academy shall accomplish 2-3 its purposes through contracts with a National Endowment for the 2-4 Humanities grant recipient for this state under 20 U.S.C. Sec. 956. 2-5 The academy shall contract with a grant recipient to provide on 2-6 behalf of the academy: 2-7 (1) scholarships to selected college and university 2-8 juniors and seniors who are majoring in a foreign language and who 2-9 intend to pursue teaching careers; 2-10 (2) financial support to selected institutions and 2-11 organizations for cultural exchange programs between Texas and its 2-12 current and prospective trade partners that include photographic 2-13 exhibitions, film and video documentary programs, print resources, 2-14 conferences, and literary projects; 2-15 (3) financial support to selected teachers and 2-16 scholars to conduct lectures and research projects in key foreign 2-17 countries and to cover reasonable and necessary domestic expenses 2-18 of teachers and scholars of other nations qualified to lecture and 2-19 conduct research in Texas; 2-20 (4) financial support to selected colleges and 2-21 universities to host summer programs of three to four weeks in 2-22 duration in foreign language and culture studies, including the 2-23 study of key international issues, designed to improve the 2-24 knowledge and skills of foreign language teachers; 2-25 (5) financial support to selected colleges and 2-26 universities to sponsor programs of one or two weeks in duration 2-27 for interested high school students who have had at least two 3-1 successful years of foreign language study; and 3-2 (6) financial support to selected institutions that 3-3 will provide, for a profit, intensive foreign language instruction 3-4 to owners and representatives of businesses and to professionals in 3-5 this state who are doing or planning to do business with current 3-6 and prospective trade partners and who will pay for the 3-7 instruction. 3-8 (b) A contract with a grant recipient under Subsection (a) 3-9 of this section must provide that: 3-10 (1) the grant recipient shall award scholarships and 3-11 financial aid that uses academy money to persons and entities based 3-12 on a competitive program established by the grant recipient; 3-13 (2) the grant recipient shall establish controls 3-14 designed to ensure that persons and entities who receive 3-15 scholarships or financial support use the money for the intended 3-16 purpose; 3-17 (3) the grant recipient shall make regular reports to 3-18 the director on its expenditures under the contract, including the 3-19 identity of persons and entities chosen by the grant recipient to 3-20 receive scholarships or financial support under the contract, and 3-21 on other information related to the contract that may be required 3-22 by the director; and 3-23 (4) the transactions of the grant recipient under the 3-24 contract are subject to audit by the state auditor in accordance 3-25 with Chapter 321, Government Code. 3-26 (c) The grant recipient may also accomplish the purposes of 3-27 the subject matter of a contract under this section with money that 4-1 is not received under the contract, to the extent allowed under 4-2 this subchapter and federal law. 4-3 Sec. 11.924. COORDINATION. The academy shall establish an 4-4 interagency task force on international studies and cultural 4-5 exchange, coordinated by the academy, to develop long-range goals 4-6 designed to enhance foreign language and international studies and 4-7 to expand educational and cultural exchange. In addition to other 4-8 persons chosen for the task force by the academy, the academy shall 4-9 invite the governor, the commissioner of education, the 4-10 commissioner of higher education, the executive director of the 4-11 Texas Department of Commerce, and the executive director of the 4-12 Texas Committee for the Humanities to serve on the task force or to 4-13 designate a representative to serve on the task force. 4-14 SECTION 2. The importance of this legislation and the 4-15 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 4-16 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 4-17 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 4-18 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended, 4-19 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its 4-20 passage, and it is so enacted.