1-1  By:  Ellis                                             S.B. No. 170
    1-2        (In the Senate - Filed January 6, 1995; January 17, 1995,
    1-3  read first time and referred to Committee on Education;
    1-4  April 19, 1995, reported favorably by the following vote:  Yeas 10,
    1-5  Nays 0; April 19, 1995, sent to printer.)
    1-6                         A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-7                                AN ACT
    1-8  relating to access to state funds for adult education.
    1-9        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
   1-10        SECTION 1.  Section 11.18, Education Code, as amended by
   1-11  Chapters 463 and 812, Acts of the 71st Legislature, Regular
   1-12  Session, 1989, is amended to read as follows:
   1-13        Sec. 11.18.  Adult Education.  (a)  As used in this section,
   1-14  the following words and phrases shall have the indicated meanings:
   1-15              (1)  "Adult education" means services and instruction
   1-16  provided below the college level for adults by public local
   1-17  education agencies, public or nonprofit agencies, community-based
   1-18  organizations, correctional education agencies, and institutions
   1-19  that serve educationally disadvantaged adults <below the college
   1-20  credit level for adults>.
   1-21              (2)  "Adult" means any individual who is over the age
   1-22  of compulsory school attendance as set forth in Section 21.032 of
   1-23  this code.
   1-24              (3)  "Community-based organization" has the meaning
   1-25  assigned by 20 U.S.C.  Section 1201a, including any future
   1-26  amendments.
   1-27              (4)  "Community education" means the concept which
   1-28  involves the people of the community in a program designed to
   1-29  fulfill their educational needs, while promoting more effective use
   1-30  of public education facilities and other public facilities for the
   1-31  purpose of providing recreational, cultural, and other related
   1-32  community services.
   1-33              (5)  "Educationally disadvantaged adult" has the
   1-34  meaning assigned by 20 U.S.C. Section 1201a, including any future
   1-35  amendments.
   1-36        (b)  The Central Education Agency shall:
   1-37              (1)  manage this program with adequate staffing to
   1-38  develop, administer, and support a comprehensive statewide adult
   1-39  education program and coordinate related federal and state programs
   1-40  for education and training of adults;
   1-41              (2)  develop, implement, and regulate a comprehensive
   1-42  statewide program for community level education services to meet
   1-43  the special needs of adults;
   1-44              (3)  develop the mechanism and guidelines for
   1-45  coordination of comprehensive adult education and related skill
   1-46  training services for adults with other agencies, both public and
   1-47  private, in planning, developing, and implementing related
   1-48  programs, including community education programs;
   1-49              (4)  administer all state and federal funds for adult
   1-50  education and related skill training in Texas, except funds
   1-51  provided for the work force development incentive program developed
   1-52  by the Texas Department of Commerce;
   1-53              (5)  prescribe and administer standards and accrediting
   1-54  policies for adult education;
   1-55              (6)  prescribe and administer rules and regulations for
   1-56  teacher certification for adult education; and
   1-57              (7)  accept and administer grants, gifts, services, and
   1-58  funds from available sources for use in adult education.
   1-59        (c)  Adult education programs shall be provided by public
   1-60  school districts, public junior colleges, <and> public
   1-61  universities, public or private nonprofit agencies, community-based
   1-62  organizations, correctional education agencies, and institutions
   1-63  that serve educationally disadvantaged adults approved in
   1-64  accordance with state statute and the regulations and standards
   1-65  adopted by the State Board of Education.  The programs shall be
   1-66  designed to meet the education and training needs of adults to the
   1-67  extent possible within available public and private resources.
   1-68  Bilingual education may be the method of instruction for students
    2-1  who do not function satisfactorily in English whenever it is
    2-2  appropriate for their optimum development.
    2-3        (d)  The State Board of Education may establish or designate
    2-4  an adult education advisory committee composed of no more than 21
    2-5  members representing public and private nonprofit education,
    2-6  business, labor, minority groups, and the general public for the
    2-7  purpose of advising the board on needs, priorities, and standards
    2-8  of adult education programs conducted in accordance with this
    2-9  section of the Texas Education Code.
   2-10        (e)  Funds shall be appropriated to implement statewide adult
   2-11  basic education, adult bilingual education, high school
   2-12  equivalency, and high school credit programs to eliminate
   2-13  illiteracy in Texas and to implement and support a statewide
   2-14  program to meet the total range of adult needs for adult education,
   2-15  related skill training, and pilot programs to demonstrate the
   2-16  effectiveness of the community education concept.  The Central
   2-17  Education Agency shall ensure that public local education agencies,
   2-18  public or private nonprofit agencies, community-based
   2-19  organizations, correctional education agencies, and institutions
   2-20  that serve educationally disadvantaged adults have direct and
   2-21  equitable access to these funds.  An additional sum of money may be
   2-22  appropriated to the Texas Department of Commerce for the purpose of
   2-23  skill training in direct support of industrial expansion and
   2-24  start-up, and those locations, industries, and occupations
   2-25  designated by the Texas Department of Commerce, when such training
   2-26  is also in support of the basic purposes of this section.  To
   2-27  fulfill the basic purposes of this section, an additional sum of
   2-28  money may be appropriated for skill training that is conducted to
   2-29  support the expansion of civilian employment opportunities on
   2-30  United States military reservations.  The Central Education Agency,
   2-31  in conjunction with the Texas Department of Commerce, may adopt
   2-32  rules to administer such skill training programs for which the
   2-33  Central Education Agency is responsible, and the Texas Department
   2-34  of Commerce may adopt rules to administer such skill training
   2-35  programs for which it is responsible.
   2-36        SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the
   2-37  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   2-38  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   2-39  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   2-40  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
   2-41  and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
   2-42  passage, and it is so enacted.
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