S.B. No. 487 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 may employ a director and other personnel 1-14 necessary to administer this subchapter. The salaries of personnel 1-15 employed by the board to administer this subchapter must be paid 1-16 out of gifts and grants, including federal grants, except that the 1-17 board may assign duties related to the academy to employees who are 1-18 compensated out of other sources of revenue if those employees are 1-19 employed by the board primarily for the purpose of performing 1-20 duties that are not related to the academy. 1-21 (c) The board may adopt rules to administer this subchapter. 1-22 (d) The board may receive gifts and grants to implement this 1-23 subchapter, except for gifts and grants offered by an office, a 1-24 department, or another agency of state government. 2-1 (e) The purpose of the academy is to: 2-2 (1) advance the study of foreign languages and/or 2-3 cultures in Texas; and 2-4 (2) advance educational and cultural exchange between 2-5 Texas and current and prospective trade partners. 2-6 Sec. 61.783. CONTRACTS. (a) The academy shall accomplish 2-7 its purposes through contracts with a National Endowment for the 2-8 Humanities grant recipient for this state under 20 U.S.C. 2-9 Section 956. The academy shall contract with a grant recipient to 2-10 provide on behalf of the academy: 2-11 (1) scholarships to selected college and university 2-12 juniors and seniors who are majoring in a foreign language and who 2-13 intend to pursue teaching careers; 2-14 (2) financial support to selected institutions and 2-15 organizations for cultural exchange programs between Texas and its 2-16 current and prospective trade partners that include photographic 2-17 exhibitions, film and video documentary programs, print resources, 2-18 conferences, and literary projects; 2-19 (3) financial support to selected teachers and 2-20 scholars to conduct lectures and research projects in key foreign 2-21 countries and to cover reasonable and necessary domestic expenses 2-22 of teachers and scholars of other nations qualified to lecture and 2-23 conduct research in Texas; 2-24 (4) financial support to selected colleges and 2-25 universities to host summer programs of three to four weeks in 2-26 duration in foreign language and culture studies, including the 2-27 study of key international issues, designed to improve the 3-1 knowledge and skills of foreign language teachers; 3-2 (5) financial support to selected colleges and 3-3 universities to sponsor programs of one or two weeks in duration 3-4 for interested high school students who have had at least two 3-5 successful years of foreign language study; and 3-6 (6) financial support to selected institutions that 3-7 will provide, for a fee, intensive foreign language instruction to 3-8 owners and representatives of businesses and to professionals in 3-9 this state who are doing or planning to do business with current 3-10 and prospective trade partners and who will pay for the 3-11 instruction. 3-12 (b) A contract with a grant recipient under Subsection (a) 3-13 of this section must provide that: 3-14 (1) the grant recipient shall award scholarships and 3-15 financial support that use academy money to persons and entities 3-16 based on a competitive program established by the grant recipient; 3-17 (2) the grant recipient shall establish controls 3-18 designed to ensure that persons and entities who receive 3-19 scholarships or financial support use the money for the intended 3-20 purpose; 3-21 (3) the grant recipient shall make regular reports to 3-22 the director on its expenditures under the contract, including the 3-23 identity of persons and entities chosen by the grant recipient to 3-24 receive scholarships or financial support under the contract, and 3-25 on other information related to the contract that may be required 3-26 by the director; and 3-27 (4) the transactions of the grant recipient under the 4-1 contract are subject to audit by the state auditor in accordance 4-2 with Chapter 321, Government Code. 4-3 (c) The grant recipient may also accomplish the purposes of 4-4 the subject matter of a contract under this section with money that 4-5 is not received under the contract, to the extent allowed under 4-6 this subchapter and federal law. 4-7 Sec. 61.784. COORDINATION. The board may establish an 4-8 interagency task force on international studies and cultural 4-9 exchange, coordinated by the academy, to develop long-range goals 4-10 designed to enhance foreign language and international studies and 4-11 to expand educational and cultural exchange. If the board 4-12 establishes the task force, then in addition to other persons 4-13 chosen for the task force by the academy, the academy shall invite 4-14 the governor, the commissioner of education, the commissioner of 4-15 higher education, the executive director of the Texas Department of 4-16 Commerce, and the executive director of the Texas Committee for the 4-17 Humanities to serve on the task force or to designate a 4-18 representative to serve on the task force. The academy also shall 4-19 invite the lieutenant governor to designate a member of the senate 4-20 to serve on the task force and shall invite the speaker of the 4-21 house of representatives to designate a member of the house of 4-22 representatives to serve on the task force. 4-23 SECTION 2. General revenue may not be appropriated for costs 4-24 related to the implementation of this Act, except to the extent 4-25 that employees who are employed by the Texas Higher Education 4-26 Coordinating Board primarily for the purpose of performing duties 4-27 that are not related to the Texas Academy of Foreign Languages and 5-1 Culture perform limited duties related to the academy to the extent 5-2 allowed by Subsection (b), Section 61.782, Education Code, as added 5-3 by this Act. 5-4 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 5-5 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 5-6 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 5-7 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 5-8 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended, 5-9 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its 5-10 passage, and it is so enacted.