H.B. 857                                                  VETOES

House Bill No. 857

AN ACT concerning

Education - Funding of Non—and Limited English Proficient Student Programs

FOR the purpose of funding programs for students enrolled in non- and limited-English
proficient student programs in public schools; defining certain terms; requiring the
Department of Education to establish certain program guidelines; requiring the
county boards to expend certain funds for the programs; requiring the county
boards to prepare certain reports to be submitted to the Department; specifying the
application of this Act under certain circumstances; funding a targeted poverty grant;
requiring the county boards to submit certain plans to the State Board; establishing a
method for allocating funds for a certain grant; limiting the amount of each grant;
establishing certain priorities; providing that the grant may not supplant existing funding
for certain programs; specifying a certain funding level for the grant by a certain year;
requiring a certain report from the Department; and generally relating to funding non-
and limited English proficient student programs certain education funding.

BY adding to

Article - Education

Section 5-203.1 and 5-203.2

Annotated Code of Maryland

(1992 Replacement Volume and 1993 Supplement)

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF
MARYLAND, That the Laws of Maryland read as follows:

Article - Education

'5-203.1.

(A) (1) (I) IN THIS SECTION THE FOLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE
MEANINGS INDICATED.

(II) "NON- AND LIMITED-ENGLISH PROFICIENT STUDENT" MEANS
A STUDENT:

1. WHOSE DOMINANT HOME LANGUAGE- IS NOT ENGLISH;
AND

2. WHO FAILS TO MEET ACCEPTABLE LEVELS OF
PROFICIENCY AS SET BY REGULATIONS ADOPTED BY THE STATE BOARD OF
EDUCATION AND AS DETERMINED BASED ON AN ASSESSMENT TOOL APPROVED BY
THE DEPARTMENT. IDENTIFIED AS NON- OR LIMITED-ENGLISH PROFICIENT UNDER
THE MARYLAND STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION'S MARYLAND SCHOOL
PERFORMANCE PROGRAM REPORTING REQUIREMENTS. THIS DEFINITION SHOULD BE
, CONSISTENT WITH FEDERAL GUIDELINES FOR THE IDENTIFICATION OF STUDENTS WITH
LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY, AS DEFINED BY THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA: THE
STUDENT WAS BORN OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES OR WHOSE NATIVE LANGUAGE IS

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