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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to special textbooks for the education of blind and |
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visually impaired students in public schools. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 31.028, Education Code, is amended by |
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amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (c-1) to read as |
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follows: |
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(b) The publisher of an adopted textbook shall provide the |
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agency with computerized textbook files for the production of |
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Braille textbooks or other versions of textbooks to be used by |
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students with disabilities, on request of the State Board of |
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Education. A publisher shall arrange computerized textbook files: |
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(1) for the production of Braille mathematics or |
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science textbooks in LaTeX or Mathematical Markup Language (MathML) |
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format unless the board specifies a more recent format; and |
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(2) for the production of other versions of textbooks |
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to be used by students with disabilities in one of several optional |
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formats specified by the board [State Board of Education]. |
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(c-1) The State Board of Education shall encourage school |
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districts and regional education service centers to assist persons |
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in developing or improving skills in transcribing textbooks into |
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Braille, including offering incentives to those persons. |
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SECTION 2. Section 31.028(b), Education Code, as amended by |
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this Act, applies to any computerized textbook files for the |
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production of Braille mathematics or science textbooks provided by |
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a textbook publisher on or after September 1, 2009. |
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SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |