HBA-MPM C.S.H.B. 2553 76(R)BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.H.B. 2553
By: Hochberg
Public Education
4/19/1999
Committee Report (Substituted)



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

The comptroller of public accounts (comptroller) has performed 30
performance reviews of Texas school districts since 1991.  These reviews
provide the districts money-saving suggestions in order to direct more
money to the classroom.  An interim study by the House Committee on Public
Education found the reviews to be one way to improve district efficiency.
C.S.H.B. 2553 authorizes a district, by resolution adopted by the majority
of members of the board of trustees, to request a review of that district
and authorizes the comptroller to require a district to pay 25 percent of
the cost of the review.   

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 403.020, Government Code, as follows:

Sec. 403.020.  New title:  PERFORMANCE REVIEW OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS.  (a)
Authorizes a review of a school district (district) to be initiated by the
comptroller of public accounts (comptroller) or at the district's request.
Authorizes a review to be initiated by a district only by resolution
adopted by the majority of members of the board of trustees of the
district. 

(b)  Requires a district reviewed under this section to pay 25 percent of
the cost incurred in conducting a performance review, if one is initiated
at the request of the district. 

(c)  Requires the comptroller to prepare a report showing the results of
each review conducted under this section; make both the entire report and a
summary of it publicly available on the Internet; and file it with the
following entities and persons: 

_the district, 
_the governor, 
_the lieutenant governor,
_the speaker of the house of representatives, 
_the chairs of the standing committees of the senate and house of
representatives with jurisdiction over public education, and  
_the commissioner of education.

SECTION 2.  Effective date:  September 1, 1999.

SECTION 3.  Emergency clause.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE

C.S.H.B. 2553 differs from the original in SECTION 1 (Section 403.020,
Government Code) by providing that a review of a school district (district)
may be initiated by the comptroller of public  accounts (comptroller) or at
the district's request, rather than at the request of a majority of the
members of the board of trustees (board) of the district.  Provides that a
review may be initiated by a district only by resolution adopted by the
majority of board members.  Makes conforming and nonsubstantive changes.