By: Cook H.B. No. 3957
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the establishment of a charter school for alleged
offender residents at a state school.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 553, Health and Safety
Code, is amended by adding Section 553.003 to read as follows:
Sec. 553.003. ESTABLISHMENT OF CHARTER SCHOOL. (a) In this
section, "alleged offender resident" means a person with mental
retardation who has been committed to or transferred to a state
school under Chapter 55, Family Code, or Chapter 46B or 46C, Code of
Criminal Procedure.
(b) The commissioner of education and the executive
commissioner of health and human services shall enter into a
memorandum of understanding to establish at a selected state school
a charter school for the education of alleged offender residents.
(c) Subchapter D, Chapter 12, Education Code, applies to a
charter school established under this section as though the school
were granted a charter under that subchapter.
(d) A charter granted under this section is not considered
for purposes of the limit on the number of open-enrollment charter
schools imposed by Section 12.101(b), Education Code.
SECTION 2. The commissioner of education and the executive
commissioner of health and human services shall adopt the
memorandum of understanding required by Section 553.003, Health and
Safety Code, as added by this Act, not later than October 1, 2009.
SECTION 3. 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, 2009.