HBA-CCH H.B. 1721 77(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1721
By: Martinez Fischer
Public Education
3/12/2001
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

As a result of a statewide teacher shortage, Texas has resorted to
alternative educator certification programs and emergency teaching permits
for individuals who are not certified.  These are programs that may
compromise the quality of education. At the same time, educators outside of
Texas must take a certification examination to be certified to teach in
Texas, even if they are certified to teach in another state and have passed
rigorous requirements and examinations.  This policy impedes teacher
mobility and contributes to the teacher shortage in Texas.   House Bill
1721 authorizes the State Board for Educator Certification to issue a
teacher's certificate to teachers who have been certified outside of Texas,
without requiring the teacher to pass the certification examination. 

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

House Bill 1721 amends the Education Code to authorize the State Board for
Educator Certification to issue a teacher's certificate to an educator
without requiring the educator to pass the certification examination, if
the educator holds an appropriate certificate or other credential issued by
another state, provided that the certificate issued by the originating
state was issued for the same academic specialization in which the educator
is seeking to teach. 

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act
takes effect September 1, 2001.