HBA-SEB H.B. 220 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 220 By: Nixon, Joe Public Education 4/19/1999 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Currently, only public schools and public school students are eligible to participate in University Interscholastic League (UIL) activities. As a result, the extracurricular activities open to private schools and private school students are limited. Private school students often travel long distances and incur great expense to take part in available student activities. H.B. 220 makes UIL activities available to private schools and their students. This measure also requires that private school students who participate in UIL activities conform to UIL academic requirements. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that rulemaking authority previously delegated to the University Interscholastic League is modified in SECTION 1 (Section 33.086, Education Code) of this bill. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Subchapter D, Chapter 33, Education Code, by adding Section 33.086, as follows: Sec. 33.086. PARTICIPATION IN UNIVERSITY INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE ACTIVITIES. (a) Prohibits the University Interscholastic League (league) from denying a child entitled to the benefits of the available school fund under Section 25.001, Education Code (a person at least five years old and under 21 years of age on the first day of September of any school year), the opportunity to participate in a league-sponsored activity on the ground that the child does not attend a public school. Prohibits the league from denying a school the opportunity to participate in an activity sponsored by the league on the ground that the school is a private school. Establishes that the league's rules must make league activities available to all children and schools in this state in the same manner. (b) Specifies that a child is not exempt from satisfying each eligibility requirement, as provided by league rule, for participation in a league-sponsored activity, with the exception of class attendance requirements. (c) Provides that the instructor of a child who is assigned to a public school to participate in league-sponsored extracurricular activities submit to the principal an affidavit stating that the child satisfies the course and grade requirements for a full-time student at the child's grade level. (d) Establishes that the executive officer of a private school that has a team participating in league-sponsored extracurricular activities submit to the league an affidavit affirming that each child meets the course and grade requirements for a full-time public school student at the child's grade level. (e) Defines "private school" as having the meaning assigned to it by Section 22.081, Education Code (a school that offers a course of instruction for students in one or more grades from prekindergarten through grade 12 and is not operated by a government entity). SECTION 2. Provides that this Act applies beginning with the 1999-2000 school year. SECTION 3. Emergency clause. Effective date: upon passage.