BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	S.B. 587
	By: Campbell
	Veteran Affairs & Border Security
	6/7/2017
	Enrolled

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

Currently, children of active military families are ineligible to attend virtual school without previously attending a Texas public school for at least one year. Families of military children move frequently due to reassignments and deployments, which causes breaks in the child's education. Many families choose to enroll their children in online virtual school to provide consistencies in their education from state to state. Unfortunately, military families in Texas are ineligible to participate in state-supported and funded virtual school education.

S.B. 587 allows students from military families flexibility to attend virtual online schools in Texas without having to first attend a public school in Texas for one year. S.B. 587 amends current law relating to virtual education for children of military members. (Original Author's / Sponsor's Statement of Intent)

S.B. 587 amends current law relating to the state virtual school network, including the ability of certain dependents of members of the United States military to enroll full-time in courses provided through the network.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Section 30A.002(b), Education Code, as follows:

(b) Provides that a student is eligible to enroll full-time in courses provided through the state virtual school network only if the student:

(1) makes a nonsubstantive change;

(2) is a dependent of a member of the United States military who has been deployed or transferred to this state and was enrolled in a publicly funded school outside of this state in the preceding school year; or

(3) redesignates existing Subdivision (2) as Subdivision (3) and makes no further changes to this subdivision.

SECTION 2. Amends Section 30A.052(c), Education Code, as follows:

(c) Deletes existing Subdivision (2) requiring the commissioner of education to contract with a regional education service center for the service center to operate the state virtual school network. Makes nonsubstantive changes.

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SECTION 3. Provides that this Act applies beginning with the 2017-2018 school year.

SECTION 4. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2017.