By Ellis S.B. No. 170
74R2680 KKA-D
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to access to state funds for adult education.
1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-4 SECTION 1. Section 11.18, Education Code, as amended by
1-5 Chapters 463 and 812, Acts of the 71st Legislature, Regular
1-6 Session, 1989, is amended to read as follows:
1-7 Sec. 11.18. Adult Education. (a) As used in this section,
1-8 the following words and phrases shall have the indicated meanings:
1-9 (1) "Adult education" means services and instruction
1-10 provided below the college level for adults by public local
1-11 education agencies, public or nonprofit agencies, community-based
1-12 organizations, correctional education agencies, and institutions
1-13 that serve educationally disadvantaged adults <below the college
1-14 credit level for adults>.
1-15 (2) "Adult" means any individual who is over the age
1-16 of compulsory school attendance as set forth in Section 21.032 of
1-17 this code.
1-18 (3) "Community-based organization" has the meaning
1-19 assigned by 20 U.S.C. Section 1201a, including any future
1-20 amendments.
1-21 (4) "Community education" means the concept which
1-22 involves the people of the community in a program designed to
1-23 fulfill their educational needs, while promoting more effective use
1-24 of public education facilities and other public facilities for the
2-1 purpose of providing recreational, cultural, and other related
2-2 community services.
2-3 (5) "Educationally disadvantaged adult" has the
2-4 meaning assigned by 20 U.S.C. Section 1201a, including any future
2-5 amendments.
2-6 (b) The Central Education Agency shall:
2-7 (1) manage this program with adequate staffing to
2-8 develop, administer, and support a comprehensive statewide adult
2-9 education program and coordinate related federal and state programs
2-10 for education and training of adults;
2-11 (2) develop, implement, and regulate a comprehensive
2-12 statewide program for community level education services to meet
2-13 the special needs of adults;
2-14 (3) develop the mechanism and guidelines for
2-15 coordination of comprehensive adult education and related skill
2-16 training services for adults with other agencies, both public and
2-17 private, in planning, developing, and implementing related
2-18 programs, including community education programs;
2-19 (4) administer all state and federal funds for adult
2-20 education and related skill training in Texas, except funds
2-21 provided for the work force development incentive program developed
2-22 by the Texas Department of Commerce;
2-23 (5) prescribe and administer standards and accrediting
2-24 policies for adult education;
2-25 (6) prescribe and administer rules and regulations for
2-26 teacher certification for adult education; and
2-27 (7) accept and administer grants, gifts, services, and
3-1 funds from available sources for use in adult education.
3-2 (c) Adult education programs shall be provided by public
3-3 school districts, public junior colleges, <and> public
3-4 universities, public or private nonprofit agencies, community-based
3-5 organizations, correctional education agencies, and institutions
3-6 that serve educationally disadvantaged adults approved in
3-7 accordance with state statute and the regulations and standards
3-8 adopted by the State Board of Education. The programs shall be
3-9 designed to meet the education and training needs of adults to the
3-10 extent possible within available public and private resources.
3-11 Bilingual education may be the method of instruction for students
3-12 who do not function satisfactorily in English whenever it is
3-13 appropriate for their optimum development.
3-14 (d) The State Board of Education may establish or designate
3-15 an adult education advisory committee composed of no more than 21
3-16 members representing public and private nonprofit education,
3-17 business, labor, minority groups, and the general public for the
3-18 purpose of advising the board on needs, priorities, and standards
3-19 of adult education programs conducted in accordance with this
3-20 section of the Texas Education Code.
3-21 (e) Funds shall be appropriated to implement statewide adult
3-22 basic education, adult bilingual education, high school
3-23 equivalency, and high school credit programs to eliminate
3-24 illiteracy in Texas and to implement and support a statewide
3-25 program to meet the total range of adult needs for adult education,
3-26 related skill training, and pilot programs to demonstrate the
3-27 effectiveness of the community education concept. The Central
4-1 Education Agency shall ensure that public local education agencies,
4-2 public or private nonprofit agencies, community-based
4-3 organizations, correctional education agencies, and institutions
4-4 that serve educationally disadvantaged adults have direct and
4-5 equitable access to these funds. An additional sum of money may be
4-6 appropriated to the Texas Department of Commerce for the purpose of
4-7 skill training in direct support of industrial expansion and
4-8 start-up, and those locations, industries, and occupations
4-9 designated by the Texas Department of Commerce, when such training
4-10 is also in support of the basic purposes of this section. To
4-11 fulfill the basic purposes of this section, an additional sum of
4-12 money may be appropriated for skill training that is conducted to
4-13 support the expansion of civilian employment opportunities on
4-14 United States military reservations. The Central Education Agency,
4-15 in conjunction with the Texas Department of Commerce, may adopt
4-16 rules to administer such skill training programs for which the
4-17 Central Education Agency is responsible, and the Texas Department
4-18 of Commerce may adopt rules to administer such skill training
4-19 programs for which it is responsible.
4-20 SECTION 2. The importance of this legislation and the
4-21 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
4-22 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
4-23 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
4-24 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
4-25 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
4-26 passage, and it is so enacted.