BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 3506

By: Villarreal

Public Education

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

School districts are currently not permitted to pay for the transportation of students to school via a public transportation system with the district transportation allotment. For some districts, it is inefficient to use district transportation methods to transport children, especially when an available public transportation option may be less expensive or more efficient. H.B. 3506 seeks to allow districts to use transportation funding as efficiently as possible by using available public transportation options as a way to transport children to school.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the commissioner of education in SECTION 1 of this bill.

ANALYSIS

H.B. 3506 amends the Education Code to authorize a school district, with the district's transportation allotment funds, to provide a bus pass or card for another transportation system to each student who is eligible to use the regular transportation system of the district but for whom the regular transportation system of the district is not a feasible method of providing transportation. The bill requires the commissioner of education by rule to provide procedures for a school district to provide bus passes or cards to students.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2011.