REPORT OF CONFERENCE COMMITTEE

 

MR. SPEAKER AND MADAM PRESIDENT:

 

   We, the undersigned conferees, have had under consideration the amendments to the following entitled BILL:

 

H. B. No.  214:  Curriculum choices; SDE design for students interested in direct entry into workforce.

 

  We, therefore, respectfully submit the following report and recommendation:

 

   1.  That the Senate recede from its Amendment No. 1.

 

   2.  That the House and Senate adopt the following amendment:

 

 

     AMEND by inserting the following after line 20 and renumbering subsequent section:

     SECTION 3.  No local school board, school superintendent or school principal shall prohibit a public school classroom teacher from discussing and answering questions from individual students on the origin of life.

     SECTION 4.  (1)  There is created a commission to study the effectiveness and efficiency of the administration of college tuition assistance programs administered by the Institutions of Higher Learning.  In addition, the commission shall evaluate merit based college tuition assistance programs and establish procedures and guidelines for implementing merit based programs.

     The commission shall make a report of its findings and recommendations to the House and Senate Education Committees and to the House and Senate Universities and Colleges Committees by October 1, 2006, including any recommended legislation.  Upon submission of its report to the Legislature the commission shall be dissolved.

     (2)  The commission shall be composed of the following five (5) members:

          (a)  A representative of the State Department of Education, to be appointed by the State Superintendent of Public Education;

          (b)  A representative from the Institutions of Higher Learning, to be appointed by the commissioner;

          (c)  A representative from the State Board for Community and Junior Colleges, to be appointed by the executive director;

          (d)  A representative from the Mississippi Association of Independent Colleges appointed by the President of the Mississippi Association of Independent Colleges; and

          (e)  The State Treasurer, or his designee.

     (3)  Appointments shall be made within thirty (30) days after the effective date of this act.  The commission shall hold its first meeting before July 15, 2006.

     (4)  Members of the commission may not be compensated for the performance of their duties.  Any incidental costs associated with conducting the study shall be paid by the State Department of Education.

     (5)  To effectuate the purposes of this section, any department, division, board, bureau, commission or agency of the state or of any political subdivision thereof shall, at the request of the chairperson of the task force, provide to the commission such facilities, assistance and data as will enable the commission to properly carry out its duties.

     AMEND FURTHER on line 22 by striking the language "July 1, 2006" and inserting in lieu thereof "passage"

     AMEND FURTHER the title by inserting the following after line 3:

"TO PROVIDE THAT NO LOCAL SCHOOL BOARD, SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT OR SCHOOL PRINCIPAL SHALL PROHIBIT A TEACHER FROM DISCUSSING AND ANSWERING QUESTIONS ON THE ORIGIN OF LIFE; TO CREATE A COMMISSION TO STUDY THE EFFECTIVENESS AND EFFICIENCY OF THE ADMINISTRATION OF COLLEGE TUITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS ADMINISTERED BY THE
INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING AND EVALUATE MERIT BASED COLLEGE TUITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS;"

 

CONFEREES FOR THE HOUSE          CONFEREES FOR THE SENATE

X (SIGNED)	X (SIGNED)
Cecil Brown	Mike Chaney
X (SIGNED)	X (SIGNED)
Leonard Morris	Videt Carmichael
X (SIGNED)	X (SIGNED)
Herb Frierson	Joseph C. Thomas