By Hochberg                                           H.B. No. 2553
         76R10060 CAS-F                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to performance reviews of school districts by the
 1-3     comptroller.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 403.020, Government Code, is amended to
 1-6     read as follows:
 1-7           Sec. 403.020.  PERFORMANCE REVIEW OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS [SCHOOL
 1-8     DISTRICT BUDGET REVIEW].  (a)  The comptroller may periodically
 1-9     review the effectiveness and efficiency of the budgets and
1-10     operations of school districts.  A review of a school district may
1-11     be  initiated by the comptroller or by the request of the school
1-12     district.  A review may be initiated by a school district only by
1-13     resolution adopted by a majority of the members of the board of
1-14     trustees of the district.
1-15           (b)  If a review is initiated by the school district, the
1-16     district  shall pay 25 percent of the cost incurred in conducting
1-17     the review.
1-18           (c)  The comptroller shall:
1-19                 (1)  prepare a report showing the results of each
1-20     review conducted under this section;
1-21                 (2)  file the report with the school district, the
1-22     governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of
1-23     representatives, the chairs of the standing committees of the
1-24     senate and of the house of representatives with jurisdiction over
 2-1     public education, and the commissioner of education; and
 2-2                 (3)  make the entire report and a summary of the report
 2-3     available to the public on the Internet.
 2-4           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
 2-5           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
 2-6     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
 2-7     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
 2-8     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
 2-9     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.