LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD

Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 81ST LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION

March 22, 2009

TO:	Honorable Rob Eissler, Chair, House Committee on Public Education
FROM:	John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:	HB635 by Guillen (Relating to the authority of the Texas Education Agency to seek, accept, and distribute grants available for the benefit of public elementary and secondary education.), As Introduced

No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

The bill would allow the Texas Education Agency to seek, accept, and distribute federal grants for the benefit of public elementary schools.  The bill would allow the commissioner to determine that a school district-operated or a community-based Head Start program serves as a public elementary school for eligibility purposes for federal grants.  The bill specifies that a Head Start program determined to be serving as a public elementary school is eligible for any state funds to which it would otherwise not be entitled.

A community-based Head Start program does not meet the federal definition of a Local Education Agency (LEA) and would therefore not be eligible for federal funds designated for LEAs according to federal law.

Local Government Impact

No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.

Source Agencies:

701 Central Education Agency

LBB Staff:

JOB, JSp, JGM, JSc