By Maxey                                         H.B. No. 583

      75R3932 CAS-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the parental involvement division of the Texas

 1-3     Education Agency.

 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Subchapter B, Chapter 7, Education Code, is

 1-6     amended by adding Section 7.025 to read as follows:

 1-7           Sec. 7.025.  PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT DIVISION.  (a)  The agency

 1-8     shall establish a parental involvement division.

 1-9           (b)  The division shall develop, implement, and administer

1-10     programs and activities to encourage and maintain parental

1-11     involvement in public schools.

1-12           SECTION 2.  (a)  On January 1, 1998, the commissioner of

1-13     education shall consolidate all Texas Education Agency programs and

1-14     activities relating to parental involvement in the parental

1-15     involvement division of the agency established as required by

1-16     Section 7.025, Education Code, as added by this Act.

1-17           (b)  All money, records, property, and equipment in the

1-18     custody of the Texas Education Agency on December 31, 1997, for

1-19     parental involvement program or activity purposes shall be

1-20     transferred to the custody of the parental involvement division of

1-21     the agency on January 1, 1998.  A person employed by the Texas

1-22     Education Agency in a program or activity related to parental

1-23     involvement becomes an employee of the parental involvement

1-24     division of the agency on January 1, 1998.

 2-1           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

 2-2           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the

 2-3     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

 2-4     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

 2-5     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 2-6     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.