HBA-NLM H.B. 17 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 17 By: Goolsby Public Education 3/24/1999 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Currently, school districts in Texas do not require public high school students to participate in a specified number of community service hours before receiving a high school diploma. The addition of this requirement to the curricula offers students job training and exposure to diversified groups of people and social issues. H.B. 17 would require high school students to complete 60 hours of community service before a graduation certificate is issued. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Sections 28.025(a) and (b), Education Code, to expand the requirements for high school graduation and a diploma or for the issuance of a certificate of course work completion to include the successful completion of community service as required under Section 28.026. Makes conforming changes. SECTION 2. Amends Subchapter B, Chapter 28, Education Code, by adding Section 28.026, as follows: Sec. 28.026. COMMUNITY SERVICE REQUIREMENT. (a) Establishes that a high school student may graduate and receive a diploma or certificate of course work only if the student performs at least 60 hours of unpaid community service during the student's high school career. Provides exceptions to the community service requirement in Subsections (d) and (e). (b) Requires each school district to develop a list of approved community service organizations from which a student may select one or more organizations to supervise and document the student's service. Requires the school district to include a broad variety of organizations on the list that reflect diverse activities and viewpoints and to permit a student to propose a specific organization for consideration as an addition to the list. (c) Requires a school district to give credit to a student for unpaid community service hours accumulated while attending another school district of this state if the hours were performed under the supervision of a community service organization approved by the other district. (d) Requires a student who transfers after the ninth grade from a school that is not subject to this section to perform a reduced number of hours of unpaid community service prorated in accordance with the grade level at which the student begins attendance in the district subject to this section. (e) Requires the committee that develops an individualized education program under Section 29.005 (Individualized Education Program) to determine the community service requirement for a student enrolled in a special education program. Authorizes the committee to waive or modify the community service requirement as necessary. Prohibits the committee from requiring a student to perform more than 60 hours of unpaid community service. SECTION 3. Provides that this Act applies to the 1999-2000 school year with a prorated amount of service for 12th, 11th, and 10th grade students. SECTION 4. Emergency clause. Effective date: upon passage.