Bill Text: TX HB617 | 2013-2014 | 83rd Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Relating to transition and employment services for public school students enrolled in special education programs.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-1)
Status: (Passed) 2013-06-14 - Effective on 9/1/13 [HB617 Detail]
Download: Texas-2013-HB617-Enrolled.html
| H.B. No. 617 | ||
|
|
||
| relating to transition and employment services for public school | ||
| students enrolled in special education programs. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. | ||
| This Act shall be known as the Ricky Broussard | ||
| Act. | ||
| SECTION 2. Section 29.011, Education Code, is amended to | ||
| read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 29.011. TRANSITION PLANNING. (a) The commissioner | ||
| shall by rule adopt procedures for compliance with federal | ||
| requirements relating to transition services for students who are | ||
| enrolled in special education programs under this subchapter. The | ||
| procedures must specify the manner in which a student's admission, | ||
| review, and dismissal committee must consider, and if appropriate, | ||
| address the following issues in the student's individualized | ||
| education program: | ||
| (1) appropriate student involvement in the student's | ||
| transition to life outside the public school system; | ||
| (2) if the student is younger than 18 years of age, | ||
| appropriate parental involvement in the student's transition; | ||
| (3) if the student is at least 18 years of age, | ||
| appropriate parental involvement in the student's transition, if | ||
| the parent is invited to participate by the student or the school | ||
| district in which the student is enrolled; | ||
| (4) any postsecondary education options; | ||
| (5) a functional vocational evaluation; | ||
| (6) employment goals and objectives; | ||
| (7) if the student is at least 18 years of age, the | ||
| availability of age-appropriate instructional environments; | ||
| (8) independent living goals and objectives; and | ||
| (9) appropriate circumstances for referring a student | ||
| or the student's parents to a governmental agency for services. | ||
| (b) The commissioner shall require each school district or | ||
| shared services arrangement to designate at least one employee to | ||
| serve as the district's or shared services arrangement's designee | ||
| on transition and employment services for students enrolled in | ||
| special education programs under this subchapter. The commissioner | ||
| shall develop minimum training guidelines for a district's or | ||
| shared services arrangement's designee. An individual designated | ||
| under this subsection must provide information and resources about | ||
| effective transition planning and services and interagency | ||
| coordination to ensure that local school staff communicate and | ||
| collaborate with: | ||
| (1) students enrolled in special education programs | ||
| under this subchapter and the parents of those students; and | ||
| (2) as appropriate, local and regional staff of the: | ||
| (A) Health and Human Services Commission; | ||
| (B) Department of Aging and Disability Services; | ||
| (C) Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative | ||
| Services; | ||
| (D) Department of State Health Services; and | ||
| (E) Department of Family and Protective | ||
| Services. | ||
| SECTION 3. Subchapter A, Chapter 29, Education Code, is | ||
| amended by adding Section 29.0112 to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 29.0112. TRANSITION AND EMPLOYMENT GUIDE. (a) The | ||
| agency, with assistance from the Health and Human Services | ||
| Commission, shall develop a transition and employment guide for | ||
| students enrolled in special education programs and their parents | ||
| to provide information on statewide services and programs that | ||
| assist in the transition to life outside the public school system. | ||
| The agency may contract with a private entity to prepare the guide. | ||
| (b) The transition and employment guide must contain | ||
| information specific to this state regarding: | ||
| (1) transition services; | ||
| (2) employment and supported employment services; | ||
| (3) social security programs; | ||
| (4) community and long-term services and support; | ||
| (5) postsecondary educational programs and services; | ||
| (6) information sharing with health and human services | ||
| agencies and providers; | ||
| (7) guardianship and alternatives to guardianship; | ||
| (8) self-advocacy, person-directed planning, and | ||
| self-determination; and | ||
| (9) contact information for all relevant state | ||
| agencies. | ||
| (c) The transition and employment guide must be produced in | ||
| an electronic format and posted on the agency's website in a manner | ||
| that permits the guide to be easily identified and accessed. | ||
| (d) The agency must update the transition and employment | ||
| guide posted on the agency's website at least once every two years. | ||
| (e) A school district shall: | ||
| (1) post the transition and employment guide on the | ||
| district's website if the district maintains a website; and | ||
| (2) provide written information and, if necessary, | ||
| assistance to a parent regarding how to access the electronic | ||
| version of the guide at: | ||
| (A) the first meeting of the student's admission, | ||
| review, and dismissal committee at which transition is discussed; | ||
| or | ||
| (B) the first committee meeting that occurs after | ||
| the date the guide becomes available, if a student has already had | ||
| an admission, review, and dismissal committee meeting discussing | ||
| transition. | ||
| SECTION 4. The Texas Education Agency, with assistance from | ||
| the Health and Human Services Commission, shall complete | ||
| development of the guide required by Section 29.0112, Education | ||
| Code, as added by this Act, not later than September 1, 2014. A | ||
| school district shall comply with Section 29.0112(e), Education | ||
| Code, as added by this Act, beginning on the date the guide is | ||
| available. | ||
| SECTION 5. Except as otherwise provided by this Act, this | ||
| Act applies beginning with the 2013-2014 school year. | ||
| SECTION 6. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives | ||
| a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as | ||
| provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this | ||
| Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this | ||
| Act takes effect September 1, 2013. | ||
| ______________________________ | ______________________________ | |
| President of the Senate | Speaker of the House | |
| I certify that H.B. No. 617 was passed by the House on April | ||
| 23, 2013, by the following vote: Yeas 89, Nays 55, 2 present, not | ||
| voting; and that the House concurred in Senate amendments to H.B. | ||
| No. 617 on May 16, 2013, by the following vote: Yeas 93, Nays 48, 3 | ||
| present, not voting. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
| I certify that H.B. No. 617 was passed by the Senate, with | ||
| amendments, on May 14, 2013, by the following vote: Yeas 28, Nays | ||
| 3. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Secretary of the Senate | ||
| APPROVED: __________________ | ||
| Date | ||
| __________________ | ||
| Governor | ||
