By Howard                                              H.B. No. 200

      75R1554 CAS-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to selection of textbooks by school districts.

 1-3           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-4           SECTION 1.  Sections 31.101(a) and (b), Education Code, are

 1-5     amended to read as follows:

 1-6           (a)  Each year, during a period established by the State

 1-7     Board of Education, the board of trustees of each school district

 1-8     and the governing body of each open-enrollment charter school

 1-9     shall, [:]

1-10                 [(1)  for a subject in the foundation curriculum,

1-11     notify the State Board of Education of the textbooks selected by

1-12     the board of trustees or governing body for the following school

1-13     year from among the textbooks on the appropriate conforming or

1-14     nonconforming list; or]

1-15                 [(2)]  for a subject in the foundation or enrichment

1-16     curriculum:

1-17                 (1) [(A)]  notify the State Board of Education of each

1-18     textbook selected by the board of trustees or governing body for

1-19     the following school year from among the textbooks on the

1-20     appropriate conforming or nonconforming list; or

1-21                 (2) [(B)]  notify the State Board of Education that the

1-22     board of trustees or governing body has selected a textbook that is

1-23     not on the conforming or nonconforming list.

1-24           (b)  If a school district or open-enrollment charter school

 2-1     selects a textbook for a particular subject [in the enrichment

 2-2     curriculum] and grade level that is not on the conforming or

 2-3     nonconforming list, the state shall pay to the district or school

 2-4     the same amount the state would pay under this chapter if the

 2-5     district or school had selected a textbook on the conforming or

 2-6     nonconforming list [an amount equal to the lesser of:]

 2-7                 [(1)  70 percent of the cost to the district of the

 2-8     textbook, multiplied by the number of textbooks the district or

 2-9     school needs for that subject and grade level; or]

2-10                 [(2)  70 percent of the limitation established under

2-11     Section 31.025 for a textbook for that subject and grade level,

2-12     multiplied by the number of textbooks the district or school needs

2-13     for that subject and grade level].

2-14           SECTION 2.  This Act applies to textbooks selected for the

2-15     1997-1998 school year and thereafter.

2-16           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

2-17     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-18     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-19     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-20     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

2-21     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

2-22     passage, and it is so enacted.