House File 224 - Introduced HOUSE FILE BY LUKAN Passed House, Date Passed Senate, Date Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays Approved A BILL FOR 1 An Act requiring public school districts and nonpublic schools to 2 offer a free college entrance exam to students in grades ten 3 and eleven each school year, and providing effective and 4 applicability dates. 5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 6 TLSB 1951HH 83 7 ak/nh/5 PAG LIN 1 1 Section 1. NEW SECTION. 280.29 FREE COLLEGE ENTRANCE 1 2 EXAM TEST. 1 3 The board of directors of each public school district and 1 4 the authorities in charge of each nonpublic school shall 1 5 provide at no cost to each student in grades ten and eleven 1 6 once each school year the opportunity to take the American 1 7 College Test or, at the discretion of the board and nonpublic 1 8 school authorities, the American College Test Plus Writing 1 9 exam or the SAT Reasoning Test. 1 10 Sec. 2. STATE MANDATE FUNDING SPECIFIED. In accordance 1 11 with section 25B.2, subsection 3, the state cost of requiring 1 12 compliance with any state mandate included in this Act shall 1 13 be paid by a school district from state school foundation aid 1 14 received by the school district under section 257.16. This 1 15 specification of the payment of the state cost shall be deemed 1 16 to meet all the state funding=related requirements of section 1 17 25B.2, subsection 3, and no additional state funding shall be 1 18 necessary for the full implementation of this Act by and 1 19 enforcement of this Act against all affected school districts. 1 20 Sec. 3. EFFECTIVE AND APPLICABILITY DATES. This Act takes 1 21 effect July 1, 2010, and applies to school years beginning on 1 22 or after that date. 1 23 EXPLANATION 1 24 This bill requires school districts and nonpublic schools 1 25 to offer a free American College Test (ACT) once a year to 1 26 students in grades 10 and 11. The school districts and the 1 27 accredited nonpublic schools have the option of providing the 1 28 expanded version of the ACT exam that includes a writing 1 29 component, called the ACT Plus Writing exam, or offering the 1 30 SAT Reasoning Test. 1 31 The bill may include a state mandate as defined in Code 1 32 section 25B.3. The bill requires that the state cost of any 1 33 state mandate included in the bill be paid by a school 1 34 district from state school foundation aid received by the 1 35 school district under Code section 257.16. The specification 2 1 is deemed to constitute state compliance with any state 2 2 mandate funding=related requirements of Code section 25B.2. 2 3 The inclusion of this specification is intended to reinstate 2 4 the requirement of political subdivisions to comply with any 2 5 state mandates included in the bill. 2 6 The bill takes effect July 1, 2010, and applies to school 2 7 years beginning on or after that date. 2 8 LSB 1951HH 83 2 9 ak/nh/5