HBA-MPM H.B. 1044 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1044 By: Talton Public Education 2/19/1999 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Under current state law, there is no limitation regarding the amount of time a student may spend in bilingual education or a special language program. H.B. 1044 limits the amount of time a student may spend in bilingual education or a special language program to no more than two years. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Section 29.053(c), Education Code, to limit the application of the provision that each school district with an enrollment of 20 or more students of limited English proficiency in any language classification in the same grade level must offer a bilingual or special language program (program) to situations in which said students have been in a bilingual education or special language program for a total of two school years or less. SECTION 2. Amends Sections 29.056(c) and (g), Education Code, to authorize the language proficiency assessment committee to classify a student as limited English proficiency only if the student has been in a program for a total of two years or less, and if the student's ability in English falls within certain limitations. Requires, rather than authorizes a district to transfer a student of limited English proficiency out of a program under certain conditions. Adds to the list of these conditions that the student has been in a program for two or more school years. Redesignates Paragraphs (g)(2)(A) - (g)(2)(C) from Subdivisions (g)(1) - (g)(3), respectively. SECTION 3. Amends Section 29.060, Education Code, by adding Subsection (g), as follows: (g) Specifies that the time a student spends in a bilingual preschool, summer school, or extended time program as required by each school district is not included in computing the amount of time the student has spent in a bilingual education or special language program for the purposes of Section 29.053 or 29.056. SECTION 4. Provides that, for the purposes of computing the amount of time a student has spent in a program for purposes of Section 29.053(c) or 29.056(c) or (g), Education Code, time spent in a program before the effective date of this Act is included in the total. SECTION 5. Makes this Act applicable beginning with the 1999-2000 school year. SECTION 6. Emergency clause. Effective date: upon passage.