By:  Barrientos                                       S.B. No. 1034

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

                                       AN ACT

 1-1     relating to funding instruction in languages other than English in

 1-2     public schools.

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

 1-4           SECTION 1.  Section 28.002, Education Code, is amended by

 1-5     adding Subsection (k) to read as follows:

 1-6           (k)  The commissioner shall study and prepare a report on the

 1-7     feasibility of requiring that, beginning with the 2005-2006 school

 1-8     year, funding be provided so that one or more courses to learn a

 1-9     language other than English are offered to each student in

1-10     kindergarten through grade 12.  The commissioner shall file with

1-11     the 75th Legislature, no later than November 1, 1997, a preliminary

1-12     report that includes an assessment of the approximate annual cost

1-13     of implementing the requirement and an explanation of the manner in

1-14     which further study of the feasibility of the requirement will be

1-15     done.  Not later than December 1, 1998, the commissioner shall file

1-16     with the legislature a final report on the feasibility of the

1-17     requirement that includes an assessment of the approximate annual

1-18     cost of implementing the requirement.  This subsection expires

1-19     January 1, 1999.

1-20           SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-21     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-22     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-23     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 2-1     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

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

 2-3     passage, and it is so enacted.