SRC-AMY H.B. 591 78(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research CenterH.B. 591
78R8092 KKA-DBy: Delisi (Fraser)
Veteran Affairs & Military Installations
5-2-2003
Engrossed

DIGEST AND PURPOSE 

The dependents of military personnel often experience frequent moves
during their educational careers.  Difficulty with transfer of records and
credits, and repetitive tests, can add to the frustration of a transfer.
Currently, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) is authorized, but not
required, to negotiate reciprocity agreements governing the terms of
school transfers with other states.  Such reciprocity agreements would
facilitate the transfer of military families and dependents.  H.B. 591
requires TEA to pursue reciprocity agreements governing the terms of
transfers with other states, identifying certain priority states, and to
report the results of those efforts.  This bill also requires such an
agreement to address allowing a student to fulfill exitlevel requirements
through comparable instruments administered in other states. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to
a state officer, institution, or agency. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Section 25.005, Education Code, as follows:

Sec. 25.005.  RECIPROCITY AGREEMENTS REGARDING MILITARY PERSONNEL AND
DEPENDENTS.  (a) Requires, rather than authorizes, the Texas Education
Agency (TEA) to pursue reciprocity agreements with other states governing
the terms of transfers of military personnel and their dependents to and
from the public schools of this state. 

(b) Includes in the list of requirements, that a reciprocity agreement
address procedures for permitting a student to satisfy the requirements of
Section 39.025 (Exit Level Performance Required) through successful
performance on comparable exit-level assessment instruments administered
in another state. Makes nonsubstantive changes. 

SECTION 2.  (a) Requires TEA, in implementing Section 25.005 to give
priority to pursuing reciprocity agreements with Florida, Georgia, North
Carolina, and Virginia. 

(b) Requires TEA to report the results of its efforts to enter into
reciprocity agreements to certain elected officials, not later than
January 1, 2004.  Requires the report to include, if TEA has not been able
to enter into a reciprocity agreement with the each state identified in
Subsection (a), certain information about each state with which TEA did
not enter into an agreement.  

SECTION 3.  Effective date:  upon passage or September 1, 2003.