HBA-MSH S.B. 467 77(R)BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisS.B. 467 By: Zaffirini Public Education 5/10/2001 Committee Report (Amended) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Increasing globalization has increased the importance of bilingualism. Young children are much more adept at mastering new languages than adults. It is therefore important to begin teaching children a new language at a young age. Dual language immersion programs provide instruction in two languages to a class that contains students who are native speakers of each language, which allows students to teach and reinforce each other. Senate Bill 467 authorizes school districts to create dual language immersion programs for elementary school students. 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. ANALYSIS Senate Bill 467 amends the Education Code to authorize a school district to adopt a dual language immersion program (program) for students enrolled in elementary school grades. The bill specifies that a program should include a class of students composed of approximately 50 percent native English speakers and 50 percent native speakers of one other language, and instruction in both English and the other language with at least half of the instruction in the other language. EFFECTIVE DATE On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act takes effect October 1, 2001. The Act applies beginning with the 2001-2002 academic year. EXPLANATION OF AMENDMENTS Committee Amendment No. 1 removes the provision that specifies what an immersion program should include.