HBA-JRA H.B. 648 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 648 By: Flores Public Education 3/5/1999 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Currently, school district improvement plans are not required to include strategies for providing middle, junior, and high schools students and their parents with information on higher education and financial aid opportunities. H.B. 648 requires school district improvement plans to include such strategies and the commissioner of education to develop guidelines for providing middle, junior, and high school students and their parents with information on higher education, including financial aid opportunities. 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 Section 11.252(a), Education Code, to include provisions for strategies for providing middle school, junior high school, and high school students with information about higher education, including financial aid opportunities, among the elements that must be included in a school district's district improvement plan. Redesignates existing Subdivisions (5)-(7) to Subdivisions (6)-(8), respectively. SECTION 2. Amends Section 21.451(a), Education Code, to provide that the minimum standards developed by the commissioner of education for program planning, preparation, and improvement must include guidelines for the cooperation of principals, counselors, and teachers to provide middle school, junior high school, and high school students with information about higher education, including financial aid opportunities. SECTION 3. Makes application of this Act prospective to the 1999-2000 school year. SECTION 4. Emergency clause. Effective date: upon passage.