BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.S.B. 224

By: Nelson

Public Education

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

It has been noted that provisions have been put in place over the past several legislative sessions to help public schools improve the health of their students. C.S.S.B. 224 seeks to provide for the award of a distinction designation to a public school campus with regard to health education and wellness.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

C.S.S.B. 224 amends the Education Code to expand the physical education category of performance for which a public school campus may receive a distinction designation to include health education and wellness. The bill authorizes the commissioner of education to establish partnerships with private and nonprofit entities to provide monetary and in-kind rewards to campuses that receive a distinction designation in any of the categories included in the statute.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2011.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

C.S.S.B. 224 contains a provision not included in the original expanding the physical education category of performance for which a public school campus may receive a distinction designation to include health education and wellness.

C.S.S.B. 224 omits provisions included in the original requiring the commissioner of education to establish a healthy schools recognition program, setting out levels of recognition and criteria for determining whether a school qualifies for recognition and at what level, providing for funding program development or implementation with gifts, grants, or donations, and requiring the commissioner to adopt rules necessary to implement a program.

C.S.S.B. 224 differs from the original by authorizing the commissioner of education to establish partnerships with private and nonprofit entities to provide monetary and in-kind rewards to campuses that receive a distinction designation, rather than to schools that receive recognition under the healthy schools recognition program as a healthy school, as in the original.

C.S.S.B. 224 omits a provision included in the original making the bill's provisions applicable beginning with the 2011-2012 school year.

C.S.S.B. 224 differs from the original by making the bill's provisions effective September 1, 2011, whereas the original makes the bill's provisions effective on passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2011.