By:  Ellis                                             S.B. No. 170
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
                                        AN ACT
    1-1  relating to access to state funds for adult education.
    1-2        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-3        SECTION 1.  Section 11.18, Education Code, as amended by
    1-4  Chapters 463 and 812, Acts of the 71st Legislature, Regular
    1-5  Session, 1989, is amended to read as follows:
    1-6        Sec. 11.18.  Adult Education.  (a)  As used in this section,
    1-7  the following words and phrases shall have the indicated meanings:
    1-8              (1)  "Adult education" means services and instruction
    1-9  provided below the college level for adults by public local
   1-10  education agencies, public nonprofit agencies, or community-based
   1-11  organizations <below the college credit level for adults>.
   1-12              (2)  "Adult" means any individual who is over the age
   1-13  of compulsory school attendance as set forth in Section 21.032 of
   1-14  this code.
   1-15              (3)  "Community-based organization" has the meaning
   1-16  assigned by 20 U.S.C.  Section 1201a, including any future
   1-17  amendments.
   1-18              (4)  "Community education" means the concept which
   1-19  involves the people of the community in a program designed to
   1-20  fulfill their educational needs, while promoting more effective use
   1-21  of public education facilities and other public facilities for the
   1-22  purpose of providing recreational, cultural, and other related
   1-23  community services.
   1-24        (b)  The Central Education Agency shall:
    2-1              (1)  manage this program with adequate staffing to
    2-2  develop, administer, and support a comprehensive statewide adult
    2-3  education program and coordinate related federal and state programs
    2-4  for education and training of adults;
    2-5              (2)  develop, implement, and regulate a comprehensive
    2-6  statewide program for community level education services to meet
    2-7  the special needs of adults;
    2-8              (3)  develop the mechanism and guidelines for
    2-9  coordination of comprehensive adult education and related skill
   2-10  training services for adults with other agencies, both public and
   2-11  private, in planning, developing, and implementing related
   2-12  programs, including community education programs;
   2-13              (4)  administer all state and federal funds for adult
   2-14  education and related skill training in Texas, except funds
   2-15  provided for the work force development incentive program developed
   2-16  by the Texas Department of Commerce;
   2-17              (5)  prescribe and administer standards and accrediting
   2-18  policies for adult education;
   2-19              (6)  prescribe and administer rules and regulations for
   2-20  teacher certification for adult education; and
   2-21              (7)  accept and administer grants, gifts, services, and
   2-22  funds from available sources for use in adult education.
   2-23        (c)  Adult education programs shall be provided by public
   2-24  school districts, public junior colleges, <and> public
   2-25  universities, public nonprofit agencies, and community-based
   2-26  organizations approved in accordance with state statute and the
   2-27  regulations and standards adopted by the State Board of Education.
    3-1  The programs shall be designed to meet the education and training
    3-2  needs of adults to the extent possible within available public and
    3-3  private resources.  Bilingual education may be the method of
    3-4  instruction for students who do not function satisfactorily in
    3-5  English whenever it is appropriate for their optimum development.
    3-6        (d)  The State Board of Education may establish or designate
    3-7  an adult education advisory committee composed of no more than 21
    3-8  members representing public and private nonprofit education,
    3-9  business, labor, minority groups, and the general public for the
   3-10  purpose of advising the board on needs, priorities, and standards
   3-11  of adult education programs conducted in accordance with this
   3-12  section of the Texas Education Code.
   3-13        (e)  Funds shall be appropriated to implement statewide adult
   3-14  basic education, adult bilingual education, high school
   3-15  equivalency, and high school credit programs to eliminate
   3-16  illiteracy in Texas and to implement and support a statewide
   3-17  program to meet the total range of adult needs for adult education,
   3-18  related skill training, and pilot programs to demonstrate the
   3-19  effectiveness of the community education concept.  The Central
   3-20  Education Agency shall ensure that public local education agencies,
   3-21  public nonprofit agencies, and community-based organizations have
   3-22  direct and equitable access to those funds.  An additional sum of
   3-23  money may be appropriated to the Texas Department of Commerce for
   3-24  the purpose of skill training in direct support of industrial
   3-25  expansion and start-up, and those locations, industries, and
   3-26  occupations designated by the Texas Department of Commerce, when
   3-27  such training is also in support of the basic purposes of this
    4-1  section.  To fulfill the basic purposes of this section, an
    4-2  additional sum of money may be appropriated for skill training that
    4-3  is conducted to support the expansion of civilian employment
    4-4  opportunities on United States military reservations.  The Central
    4-5  Education Agency, in conjunction with the Texas Department of
    4-6  Commerce, may adopt rules to administer such skill training
    4-7  programs for which the Central Education Agency is responsible, and
    4-8  the Texas Department of Commerce may adopt rules to administer such
    4-9  skill training programs for which it is responsible.
   4-10        SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the
   4-11  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   4-12  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   4-13  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   4-14  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
   4-15  and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
   4-16  passage, and it is so enacted.