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.