HBA-NRS C.S.S.B. 524 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.S.B. 524 By: Armbrister Public Education 4/18/2001 Committee Report (Substituted) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Many states permit open competition between private and public schools under rules that are similar to those that govern the University Interscholastic League (UIL). C.S.S.B. 524 prohibits the UIL from denying eligible private schools or students in Texas the opportunity to participate in an activity sponsored by UIL or to become a member of a UIL district. 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. ANALYSIS C.S.S.B. 524 amends the Education Code to prohibit the University Interscholastic League (UIL) from denying a private school or its students the opportunity to participate in UIL sponsored activities or to become a member of the appropriate UIL district because the school is a private school. The bill does not provide exemptions for private schools or its students from satisfying eligibility requirements. For a private school to be eligible to participate in UIL activities, the school must be accredited by an accrediting organization recognized by the Texas Education Agency (TEA), offer a four-year high school curriculum, offer interscholastic competition, require daily student attendance at a specific location, and have 500 or more enrolled students. The bill provides that a private school seeking to participate in a UIL activity or to become a member of a UIL district must apply to the UIL on a signed form, certify its eligibility, and attach proof of accreditation. The bill prohibits the UIL from imposing eligibility requirements that exceed the state requirements on extracurricular activities or UIL rules for public schools. On approval of an application, the bill requires the UIL to issue a certificate of approval. To determine the appropriate UIL district in which an eligible private school with a single sex enrollment will participate, the UIL must multiply the private school's enrollment by two and place the private school in an appropriate UIL district based on that enrollment figure, provided that the private school is placed in a UIL district not lower than the 3A level. For purposes of determining the eligibility of a student to participate in a UIL activity, the attendance zone for an eligible private school is the geographic area of the public school district in which the private school is located. The bill provides that a private school that participates in a UIL activity or that is a member of a UIL district must administer the academic skills assessment instruments to students at the school, provide results of the assessment to the commissioner of education, maintain confidentiality, and reimburse the agency for the cost of administering the instrument. The bill also requires TEA to aggregate information relating to students enrolled in a private school separately from the information relating to other students. EFFECTIVE DATE On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act takes effect September 1, 2001. The Act applies beginning with the 2001-2002 school year. COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE C.S.S.B. 524 modifies the original bill by specifying that, in determining the appropriate district in which an eligible private school will participate, the enrollment of a school with a single sex enrollment, rather than all private schools, is multiplied by two.