BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 851

By: Huberty

Public Education

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Individual graduation committees provide alternative methods by which high school students who are otherwise ineligible for graduation but meet certain qualifications may graduate and be awarded a diploma. It has been noted that the statutes governing these committees are temporary and set to expire September 1, 2019. H.B. 851 seeks to address this issue by removing the expiration dates on statutes governing individual graduation committees.

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. 851 repeals Education Code provisions setting an expiration date of September 1, 2019, for the following statutory provisions: provisions requiring the commissioner of education to establish a graduation qualification procedure applicable to certain students who entered ninth grade before the 2011-2012 school year, provisions establishing procedures for awarding a high school diploma on the basis of individual graduation committee review, and provisions requiring each public school district to report the number of district students for which such a committee is established and the number of district students who are awarded a diploma based on the decision of such a committee.

H.B. 851 amends the Education Code to remove the September 1, 2019, expiration date for the following statutory provisions: provisions subjecting an open-enrollment charter school to the individual graduation committee procedures and to the graduation qualification procedure established for certain students who entered ninth grade before the 2011-2012 school year; provisions authorizing certain students who are eligible for a diploma on the basis of individual graduation committee review to receive a diploma; and provisions establishing that a student who, after retaking an end-of-course test for Algebra I or English II, has failed to perform satisfactorily on the end-of-course test but receives a score of proficient on the Texas Success Initiative diagnostic assessment for the corresponding subject satisfies the requirement concerning the Algebra I or English II end-of-course test, as applicable.

H.B. 851 repeals the following provisions of the Education Code:

· Section 28.02541(g)

· Section 28.0258(l)

· Section 28.0259(e)    

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, on the 91st day after the last day of the legislative session.