By: Zaffirini, et al. S.B. No. 487
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
1-1 relating to the establishment of the Texas Academy of Foreign
1-2 Languages and Culture.
1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-4 SECTION 1. Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding
1-5 Subchapter O to read as follows:
1-6 SUBCHAPTER O. TEXAS ACADEMY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND CULTURE
1-7 Sec. 61.781. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
1-8 (1) "Academy" means the Texas Academy of Foreign
1-9 Languages and Culture.
1-10 (2) "Director" means the director of the academy.
1-11 Sec. 61.782. ACADEMY. (a) The academy is established under
1-12 the board.
1-13 (b) The board shall employ a director and other personnel
1-14 necessary to administer this subchapter.
1-15 (c) The board may adopt rules to administer this subchapter.
1-16 (d) The board may receive gifts and grants to implement this
1-17 subchapter.
1-18 (e) The purpose of the academy is to:
1-19 (1) advance the study of foreign languages and
1-20 cultures in Texas;
1-21 (2) advance educational and cultural exchange between
1-22 Texas and current and prospective trade partners;
1-23 (3) encourage the involvement of nonprofit and private
1-24 entities in international studies and in cultural and educational
2-1 exchanges; and
2-2 (4) access federal and private funds for international
2-3 education.
2-4 Sec. 61.783. CONTRACTS. (a) The academy shall accomplish
2-5 its purposes through contracts with a National Endowment for the
2-6 Humanities grant recipient for this state under 20 U.S.C. Section
2-7 956. The academy shall contract with a grant recipient to provide
2-8 on behalf of the academy:
2-9 (1) scholarships to selected college and university
2-10 juniors and seniors who are majoring in a foreign language and who
2-11 intend to pursue teaching careers;
2-12 (2) financial support to selected institutions and
2-13 organizations for cultural exchange programs between Texas and its
2-14 current and prospective trade partners that include photographic
2-15 exhibitions, film and video documentary programs, print resources,
2-16 conferences, and literary projects;
2-17 (3) financial support to selected teachers and
2-18 scholars to lecture and conduct research projects in key foreign
2-19 countries and to cover reasonable and necessary domestic expenses
2-20 of teachers and scholars of other nations qualified to lecture and
2-21 conduct research in Texas;
2-22 (4) financial support to selected colleges and
2-23 universities to host summer programs of three to four weeks in
2-24 duration in foreign language and culture studies, including the
2-25 study of key international issues, designed to improve the
2-26 knowledge and skills of foreign language teachers;
2-27 (5) financial support to selected colleges and
3-1 universities to sponsor programs of one or two weeks in duration
3-2 for interested high school students who have had at least two
3-3 successful years of foreign language study; and
3-4 (6) financial support to selected institutions that
3-5 will provide, for a fee, intensive foreign language instruction to
3-6 owners and representatives of businesses and to professionals in
3-7 this state who are doing or plan to do business with current and
3-8 prospective trade partners and who will pay for the instruction.
3-9 (b) A contract with a grant recipient under Subsection (a)
3-10 of this section must provide that:
3-11 (1) the grant recipient shall award scholarships and
3-12 financial aid that uses academy money to persons and entities based
3-13 on a competitive program established by the grant recipient;
3-14 (2) the grant recipient shall establish controls
3-15 designed to ensure that persons and entities who receive
3-16 scholarships or financial support use the money for the intended
3-17 purpose;
3-18 (3) the grant recipient shall make regular reports to
3-19 the director on its expenditures under the contract, including the
3-20 identity of persons and entities chosen by the grant recipient to
3-21 receive scholarships or financial support under the contract, and
3-22 on other information related to the contract that may be required
3-23 by the director; and
3-24 (4) the transactions of the grant recipient under the
3-25 contract are subject to audit by the state auditor in accordance
3-26 with Chapter 321, Governmental Code.
3-27 (c) The grant recipient may also accomplish the purposes of
4-1 the subject matter of a contract under this section with money that
4-2 is not received under the contract, to the extent allowed under
4-3 this subchapter and federal law.
4-4 Sec. 61.784. COORDINATION. The academy shall establish an
4-5 interagency task force on international studies and cultural
4-6 exchange, coordinated by the academy, to develop long-range goals
4-7 designed to enhance foreign language and international studies and
4-8 to expand educational and cultural exchange. In addition to other
4-9 persons chosen for the task force by the academy, the academy shall
4-10 invite the governor, the commissioner of education, the
4-11 commissioner of higher education, the executive director of the
4-12 Texas Department of Commerce, and the executive director of the
4-13 Texas Committee for the Humanities to serve on the task force or to
4-14 designate a representative to serve on the task force. The academy
4-15 also shall invite the lieutenant governor to designate a member of
4-16 the senate to serve on the task force and shall invite the speaker
4-17 of the house of representatives to designate a member of the house
4-18 of representatives to serve on the task force.
4-19 SECTION 2. The only funds that may be spent to administer
4-20 this Act are those grants and donations that are solicited and
4-21 received for this purpose.
4-22 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the
4-23 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
4-24 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
4-25 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
4-26 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
4-27 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
5-1 passage, and it is so enacted.