BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 1431

By: King, Susan

Public Education

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Current law, interested parties note, requires each school district that offers kindergarten through grade 12 to provide a foundation and enrichment curriculum that includes certain subjects. The parties suggest that the curriculum should be expanded to include a career-oriented foreign language program. H.B. 1431 seeks to provide for such a program.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

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

H.B. 1431 amends the Education Code to require the State Board of Education, in consultation with the commissioner of higher education and business and industry leaders, to develop an advanced language course that a school district may use in the foreign language enrichment curriculum to provide students with instruction in industry-related terminology that prepares students to communicate in a language other than English in a specific professional, business, or industry environment.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2015.