HBA-LCA H.B. 2712 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 2712 By: Dutton Public Education 4/20/1999 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Administered by the Texas Education Agency, the High School Equivalency Examination Program is designed to provide students who have no reasonable chance of earning a high school diploma with an alternative to leaving high school with no credential. The program prepares students to earn a high school equivalency certificate through successful completion of the General Educational Development (GED) examination. Currently, the minimum age is 17 years for a person to take the examination, although an adjudicated or state-supervised 16-year old is eligible to take the test if a public agency legally responsible for or supervising the person recommends it. Limiting the potential pool of test-takers to those who are 16 years or older and who are wards of the state or under the supervision of a public agency may discourage those teenagers who receive social services from a public agency, but who are not directly supervised. H.B. 2712 authorizes a person who is 16 years of age or older to take the high school equivalency examination upon recommendation of a public agency providing social services to the person, rather than a public agency supervising or having court-ordered custody of the person. 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 7.111(a), Education Code, to authorize a person who is 16 years of age or older to take the high school equivalency examination upon recommendation of a public agency providing social services to the person, rather than a public agency supervising or having court-ordered custody of the person. SECTION 2. Provides that this Act applies beginning with the 1999-2000 school year. SECTION 3. Emergency clause. Effective date: upon passage.