BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.S.B. 686

By: Alvarado

Public Education

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

It has been noted that thorough and comprehensive financial literacy education is important for public school students as they prepare to graduate high school and become independent adults. C.S.S.B. 686 seeks to address this issue by requiring the foundation high school program curriculum to include certain instruction in personal financial literacy.

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

C.S.S.B. 686 amends the Education Code to revise the requirement for each public school district and each open-enrollment charter school that offers a high school program to provide a certain one-half credit elective course in personal financial literacy by doing the following:

· removing the requirements for the course to be for one-half credit and to be elective;

· authorizing the course instead to be offered as a distinct course in personal financial literacy or as an elective course or existing course that includes instruction in personal financial literacy sufficient to meet the requirements for one-half credit under the foundation high school program; and

· requiring the instruction in personal financial literacy to include specified instruction regarding student loans.

The bill requires the state curriculum requirements for the foundation high school program to include, as part of the required three credits in social studies, at least one-half credit in personal financial literacy as an alternative to at least one-half credit in economics.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2019.

COMPARISON OF SENATE ENGROSSED AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.S.B. 686 may differ from the engrossed in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the engrossed and committee substitute versions of the bill.

The substitute includes provisions revising the requirement for applicable public school districts and open-enrollment charter schools to provide an elective high school course in personal financial literacy and includes requirements for the inclusion in that course of specified instruction relating to student loans.

The substitute does not include at least one-half credit in combined personal financial literacy and economics as an alternative to the economics requirement under the foundation high school program curriculum requirements and does not include provisions specifying the proportions of instruction time for each component of that alternative. The substitute includes instead at least one-half credit in personal financial literacy as an alternative to the economics requirement.

The substitute does not include a provision making the bill applicable beginning with the 2020‑2021 school year.