Summary

Louisiana HB 116 (Open States or Louisiana Legislature) creates the Task Force on Textbooks and Instructional Materials within the Department of Education. The task force will consider strategies for increasing the use of electronic texts and other materials and the costs of related hardware and internet access.

Legislative Analysis

HB 116 creates the Task Force on Textbooks and Instructional Materials within the Department of Education. Its purpose is to review, analyze, and make recommendations relating to the processes used in selecting and approving textbooks and other instructional materials for public schools. The legislation designates who should comprise the 18-member task force and that it will terminate on June 30, 2014.

The task force is required to submit a written report of findings and recommendations to the House and Senate committees on education by Feb. 1, 2014. HB 116 directs the task force to consider the following when making its recommendations:

• The optimal balance of authority and responsibility between the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, the DOE, and schools and school systems for the review, selection, and purchase of texts and instructional materials, including internet content.
• Strategies to increase the use of electronic texts and other instructional materials and address the costs of providing related hardware and internet access.
• Strategies to revise the processes used in such review, selection, and purchase in order to provide maximum flexibility for schools while ensuring that students are provided with texts and instructional materials that are current and aligned with state content standards.
• A process to facilitate the purchase and delivery of texts and instructional materials at the lowest possible cost and in a timely manner.

This legislation promotes digital learning by encouraging the use of electronic materials and seeking to ensure that school systems and schools are able to obtain the hardware and internet access they need to best utilize these materials. Any recommendations by the task force that give school systems and schools more authority over choosing their instructional materials may also promote digital learning, as this would provide more opportunities to innovate at the local level.

Legislative History

Detailed Vote History: Legiscan |  Open States

Approved by Governor Bobby Jindal on 6/18/2013