BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 860

By: Lucio

Economic & Small Business Development

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Dropout recovery programs and partnerships responded to industry and statewide leaders' call for improved coordination between independent school districts and institutions of higher education with regard to technical education. However, interested parties assert that career and technical education courses leading to industry certifications can be expensive to provide and that some public junior colleges may not have the needed equipment or expertise to provide the technical coursework. S.B. 860 seeks to provide participating public junior colleges with an additional cost-effective resource in meeting the requirements of the dropout recovery program.

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

S.B. 860 amends the Education Code to authorize a public junior college to partner with a public technical institute to provide, as part of the dropout recovery program curriculum, career and technology education courses that lead to industry or career certification. The bill authorizes a public technical institute to receive from a partnering public junior college for each student enrolled in such a career and technology education course an amount negotiated between the public technical institute and the partnering public junior college.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2013.