By Madden H.B. No. 2726 77R7589 JAT-D A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to a study of the effect of air pollution on school 1-3 absenteeism. 1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-5 SECTION 1. (a) In this section, "commission" means the Texas 1-6 Natural Resource Conservation Commission. 1-7 (b) The commission, in collaboration with the Texas 1-8 Education Agency and the Texas Department of Health, shall conduct 1-9 a study of the effect of air pollution on school absenteeism. 1-10 (c) The commission shall conduct the study in two major 1-11 metropolitan areas of Texas. 1-12 (d) The commission, in conducting the study, shall correlate 1-13 air pollution monitoring data collected by the commission with 1-14 absenteeism statistics from schools near outdoor monitoring 1-15 stations collected by the Texas Education Agency. 1-16 (e) The study period shall be long enough to scientifically 1-17 determine a presence or absence of a correlation between air 1-18 pollution and school absenteeism. 1-19 (f) The Texas Department of Health shall serve as a 1-20 methodological consultant for the study and shall assist with 1-21 analyzing and drawing conclusions from the data and determining the 1-22 results of the study. 1-23 (g) Not later than May 1, 2002, the commission shall submit 1-24 to the governor, the lieutenant governor, and the speaker of the 2-1 house of representatives a written report containing the findings 2-2 of the study. 2-3 SECTION 2. This Act expires June 1, 2002. 2-4 SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives a 2-5 vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as 2-6 provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this 2-7 Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this 2-8 Act takes effect September 1, 2001.