81R9774 CAS-D
By: Naishtat H.B. No. 4553
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to special textbooks for the education of blind and
visually impaired students in public schools.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 31.028, Education Code, is amended by
amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (c-1) to read as
follows:
(b) The publisher of an adopted textbook shall provide the
agency with computerized textbook files for the production of
Braille textbooks or other versions of textbooks to be used by
students with disabilities, on request of the State Board of
Education. A publisher shall arrange computerized textbook files:
(1) for the production of Braille mathematics or
science textbooks in LaTeX or Mathematical Markup Language (MathML)
format unless the board specifies a more recent format; and
(2) for the production of other versions of textbooks
to be used by students with disabilities in one of several optional
formats specified by the board [State Board of Education].
(c-1) The State Board of Education shall encourage school
districts and regional education service centers to assist persons
in developing or improving skills in transcribing textbooks into
Braille, including offering incentives to those persons.
SECTION 2. Section 31.028(b), Education Code, as amended by
this Act, applies to any computerized textbook files for the
production of Braille mathematics or science textbooks provided by
a textbook publisher on or after September 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.