1-1     By:  Cain                                             S.B. No. 1617
 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed March 12, 1999; March 15, 1999, read
 1-3     first time and referred to Committee on Economic Development;
 1-4     May 6, 1999, reported favorably, as amended, by the following vote:
 1-5     Yeas 6, Nays 0; May 6, 1999, sent to printer.)
 1-6     COMMITTEE AMENDMENT NO. 1                              By:  Jackson
 1-7     Amend S.B. No. 1617 as follows:
 1-8           (1)  After line 40, insert a new Subdivision (6) and renumber
 1-9     the subsequent subdivision accordingly:
1-10                 (6)  the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board;
1-11           (2)  On page 1, line 55, in Subsection (e) strike "The
1-12     council shall select a presiding officer from among its members."
1-13     and insert "The Department of Information Resources representative
1-14     shall serve as presiding officer of the council."
1-15           (3)  On page 1, line 60, insert a new Subsection (f) to read
1-16     as follows:
1-17                 (f)  Not later than January 1, 2001, the council shall
1-18     submit a report to the legislature on the implementation of the
1-19     statewide master plan with recommendations on statutory or other
1-20     changes that require legislative action to improve the statewide
1-21     master plan.
1-22                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-23                                   AN ACT
1-24     relating to educational technology.
1-25           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-26           SECTION 1.  Subchapter A, Chapter 7, Education Code, is
1-27     amended by adding Section 7.006 to read as follows:
1-28           Sec. 7.006.  TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY
1-29     COORDINATING COUNCIL.  (a)  The Telecommunications and Educational
1-30     Technology Coordinating Council is established to coordinate the
1-31     state's promotion and use of educational technology.
1-32           (b)  The council is composed of representatives from each of
1-33     the following agencies, with one representative appointed by each
1-34     agency:
1-35                 (1)  the Texas Education Agency;
1-36                 (2)  the State Board for Educator Certification;
1-37                 (3)  the General Services Commission;
1-38                 (4)  the Department of Information Resources;
1-39                 (5)  the Texas State Library and Archives Commission;
1-40     and
1-41                 (6)  the Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund Board.
1-42           (c)  The council shall create a statewide master plan
1-43     designed to promote coordination of efforts and minimize
1-44     duplication of efforts in the state's deployment of educational
1-45     technology and in educational technology grants made to school
1-46     districts and other entities.  The council shall monitor the
1-47     implementation of the plan and shall attempt to coordinate state
1-48     educational technology efforts so that funding and services
1-49     provided by the state are not duplicative and that unmet needs are
1-50     addressed.
1-51           (d)  The council shall promote discussions regarding issues
1-52     such as the long-term ramifications of proposed educational
1-53     technology initiatives and the best methods of meeting the
1-54     educational needs of students with educational technology.
1-55           (e)  The council shall select a presiding officer from among
1-56     its members.  The council shall meet at the call of the presiding
1-57     officer or as provided by procedural rules of the council.  Each
1-58     agency represented on the council may provide staff support to the
1-59     council.
1-60           SECTION 2.  Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, is
1-61     amended by adding Section 61.0761 to read as follows:
1-62           Sec. 61.0761.  TRAINING FOR USE OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES.
1-63     The board, the Texas Education Agency, the State Board for Educator
 2-1     Certification, and institutions of higher education, under the
 2-2     leadership of the board, shall cooperate to ensure that:
 2-3                 (1)  teachers, librarians, and students in institutions
 2-4     of higher education who are preparing for careers as teachers or
 2-5     librarians are trained in the effective and efficient use of
 2-6     educational technologies;
 2-7                 (2)  training standards in teaching the use of
 2-8     educational technologies are developed; and
 2-9                 (3)  with the assistance of the Telecommunications and
2-10     Educational Technology Coordinating Council, adequate funding is
2-11     available to provide continuing education to teachers and
2-12     librarians, and education to students preparing for careers as
2-13     teachers or librarians, in the use of educational technologies.
2-14           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
2-15     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-16     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-17     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-18     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
2-19     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
2-20     passage, and it is so enacted.
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