House of Representatives

HB 2380

special education integration pilot program

Sponsors: Representatives Knaperek, Huppenthal et al.

dPA	Committee on Education
DPA	Committee on Appropriation
DPA	Caucus and COW	This bill as introduced contains an Appropriation clause.
x	As Passed the House

HB 2380 establishes a pilot program to streamline and coordinate special education services.

History

Laws 1999, Chapter 67 established the Joint Legislative Study Committee on Special Education and Regulation. As part of the final recommendations, the Committee recommended that a Special Education Service Integration Fund be established in order to integrate special education services at the local level. HB 2380 requires the Department of Education to develop a pilot program in five school districts in order to streamline, expedite and coordinate special education services. The Department shall adopt the rules for of the pilot program and shall provide grant funding to the participating school districts from the Special Education Services Integration Fund.

Provisions

· Requires the Department of Education to establish a pilot program in five school districts to streamline, expedite and coordinate special education services through the integration of those services at the local level. One of the participating school districts must be in a county with fewer that one hundred thousand persons. The Department of Education shall adopt rules to prescribe application and eligibility requirements for school districts that wish to participate in the pilot program. As introduced, HB 2380 does not specify the length of time of the pilot program.

· Requires the Department of Education to submit a report that summarizes the results of the pilot program and recommendations for proposed legislation to the Governor, Speaker of the House of Representatives, President of the Senate, and provide a copy of the report to the Secretary of State and the Director of the Arizona State Library, Archives and public Records.

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The Education Committee adopted the following amendments:

· Specifies that the pilot program will be for three years.

· Transfer a total of $250,000 to the Special Education Services Integration Fund. The funds are transferred from the FY 2001-2002 appropriations to the following agencies:

1. $100,000 from the Department of Health Services (DHS).

2. $100,000 from the Department of Economic Security (DES).

3. $50,000 from the Supreme Court

4. Appropriates $250,000 from the Special Education Services Integration Fund to the Department of Education to use in the pilot program.

5. Specifies that the act is repealed after June 30, 2005.

HB 2380 was amended in the Appropriations Committee as follows:

· Strikes out all language requiring the Department of Education (ADE) to implement a pilot project for the integration of special education services in five school districts, and instead replaces it with language requiring ADE to develop a pilot project, in collaboration with DES, DHS, the Administrative Office the Courts and the Department of Juvenile Corrections (DJC).

· Strikes out all language creating a new “special education services integration fund”.

· Adds a date of December 1, 2001 to the report already in the underlying bill which requires ADE to provide information on the pilot program and recommendations for proposed legislation.

The Committee of the Whole adopted the Appropriation Committee amendment.

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44th Legislature

Second Regular Session 2 April 17, 2001

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