BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 2075

By: Paxton

Public Education

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

There have been calls to ensure that requirements for public school districts relating to reading diagnosis and to screening and treatment for dyslexia and related disorders are being properly implemented. S.B. 2075 seeks to ensure such implementation by requiring the Texas Education Agency to monitor districts' compliance with relevant law and by providing for parents or guardians of applicable students to be notified of a Texas State Library and Archives Commission program that provides free access to audiobooks.

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 rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the commissioner of education in SECTION 2 and to the Texas Education Agency in SECTIONS 2 and 3 of this bill.

ANALYSIS

S.B. 2075 amends the Education Code to require a public school district, in accordance with a notification program developed by the commissioner of education by rule, to notify the parent or guardian of each student determined by a screening to have dyslexia or a related disorder or determined on the basis of reading test results to be at risk for dyslexia or other reading difficulties of the program maintained by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission providing students with reading disabilities the ability to borrow audiobooks free of charge. The bill requires the Texas Education Agency (TEA) by rule to develop procedures designed to allow TEA to:

· effectively audit and monitor and periodically conduct site visits of all public school districts to ensure that districts are complying with provisions relating to reading diagnosis and to screening and treatment for dyslexia and other related disorders;

· identify any problems districts experience in complying with those provisions; and

· develop reasonable and appropriate remedial strategies to address district noncompliance and ensure that the purposes of those provisions are accomplished.

The bill applies beginning with the 2019-2020 school year.

S.B. 2075 establishes that TEA is required to implement a provision of the bill only if the legislature appropriates money specifically for that purposes and if not, that TEA may, but is not required to, implement such a provision using other appropriations available for that purpose.

EFFECTIVE DATE

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