HBA-MPM S.B. 1617 76(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisS.B. 1617
By: Cain
Public Education
5/17/1999
Engrossed



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Over the 1998-99 biennium, Texas spent approximately $600 million in state
funds on educational technology and telecommunications infrastructure in
addition to $50 million in federal funds. Although Texas has made a
substantial investment over the past decade in educational technology,
including a wide variety of projects, agencies, and funding sources, the
precise goal and expected result of this investment remains unclear.  S.B.
1617 establishes the Telecommunications and Educational Technology
Coordinating Council to coordinate the state's promotion and use of
educational technology.  

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 Subchapter A, Chapter 7, Education Code, by adding
Section 7.006, as follows: 

Sec. 7.006.  TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY COORDINATING
COUNCIL.  (a)  Establishes the Telecommunications and Educational
Technology Coordinating Council (council) to coordinate the state's
promotion and use of educational technology. 

(b)  Sets forth the representative composition of the council.

(c)  Requires the council to create a statewide master plan to promote
coordination of efforts and minimize duplication of efforts in the state's
deployment of educational technology and in educational technology grants
made to school districts and other entities.  Requires the council to
monitor the implementation of the plan and to attempt to coordinate state
educational technology efforts so that funding and services provided are
not duplicative and that unmet needs are addressed. 

(d) Requires the council to promote discussions regarding issues such as
the long-term ramifications of proposed educational technology initiatives
and methods of meeting the educational needs of students with educational
technology. 

(e)  Requires the Department of Information Resources representative of the
council to serve as the council's presiding officer.  Requires the council
to meet at the presiding officer's call, or as provided by the council's
procedural rules.  Authorizes each agency represented on the council to
provide staff to the council. 

(f)  Requires the council, no later than January 1, 2000, to submit a
report to the legislature on the implementation of the statewide master
plan with recommendations on statutory or other changes that require
legislative action to improve the statewide master plan. 

 SECTION 2.  Amends Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, by adding
Section 61.0761, as follows: 

Sec. 61.0761. TRAINING FOR USE OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES.  Requires the
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (board), the Texas Education
Agency, the State Board for Educator Certification, and institutions of
higher education, under the leadership of the board, to cooperate to ensure
that certain goals are met with respect to the use of, training standards
in, and funding for educational technologies. 

SECTION 3.Emergency clause.
  Effective date: upon passage.