HBA-MPM C.S.H.B. 1850 76(R)BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.H.B. 1850
By: Lengefeld
Public Education
4/28/1999
Committee Report (Substituted)



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Currently, the Windham School System of the Texas Department of Criminal
Justice may only accept inmates who do not have a high school diploma.
Windham officials have determined that 1159 of their inmates are high
school graduates, read at the fourth-grade level or less, and are not
eligible for literacy or vocational classes offered by Windham.  C.S.H.B.
1850 provides that any person confined in the Texas Department of Criminal
Justice is eligible for programs and services paid for with money from the
foundation school fund.  This bill also authorizes a school district to
offer programs or services paid for by this fund to those persons who are
high school graduates, to the extent that space is available.   

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.  Provides that any person, rather than "only a person," confined
or imprisoned in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (department) who
is not a high school graduate is eligible for programs or services under
this chapter paid for with money from the foundation school fund.
Authorizes a school district, to the extent space is available, to offer
programs or services under this chapter paid for with money from the
foundation school fund to persons confined or imprisoned in the department
who are high school graduates.   

SECTION 2.  Effective date: September 1, 1999.

SECTION 3.  Emergency clause.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE

C.S.H.B. 1850 differs from the original bill in SECTION 1, which amends
Section 19.005(a), Education Code, by reinstating language specifying that
a high school graduate confined or imprisoned in the Texas Department of
Criminal Justice (department) is eligible for programs or services under
this chapter paid for with money from the foundation school fund (the
original removed language qualifying the person as one who is not a high
school graduate).  The substitute adds language authorizing a school
district, to the extent space is available, to offer programs or services
under this chapter paid for with money from the foundation school fund to
persons confined or imprisoned in the department who are high school
graduates.