EQUAL ACCESS TO ARMED FORCES - H.B. 5139 (H-1): COMMITTEE SUMMARY
House Bill 5139 (Substitute H-1 as passed by the House)
Sponsor: Representative Wayne Kuipers
House Committee: Education
Senate Committee: Education
Date Completed: 2-20-02
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Revised School Code to require public high school officials to provide official recruiting representatives of the Armed Forces of the United States and the Service Academies of the Armed Forces of the United States at least the same access to the high school campus and to pupil directory information as provided to other entities offering educational or employment opportunities.
The bill would define "Armed Forces of the United States" to include the Armed Forces reserve components and the United States Coast Guard. "Pupil directory information" would mean a pupil's name and address and, if it were a listed or published telephone number, the pupil's telephone number.
Under the bill, if a high school pupil or the parent or legal guardian of a high school pupil submitted to school officials of a public high school a signed, written request indicating that the parent or legal guardian did not want the pupil's directory information to be accessible to official recruiting representatives from the Armed Forces or Service Academies of the Armed Forces, then the school officials would be prohibited from allowing access to the pupil's directory information. The bill provides that the governing board of the school district, intermediate school district, or public school academy operating the high school would have to ensure that pupils, parents, and guardians were notified of this provision.
Further, the school officials of a public high school would have to provide any public notice required to be given under Section 444 of the Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, in order to comply with the bill and Federal law. (Under the Act, an educational agency or institution may disclose directory information if it has given public notice to parents and students about all of the following: the types of information it has designated as directory information; a parent's or student's right to refuse to let the agency or institution designate any or all of those types information about the student as directory information; and the period of time within which a parent or student has to notify the agency or institution in writing that he or she does not want that information designated as student directory information.)
Under the bill, the school officials of a public high school could require an official recruiting representative from the Armed Forces or the Service Academies to pay a fee for copying and mailing pupil directory information. The fee could not exceed the actual copying and mailing costs incurred by the high school.
The bill would require an official recruiting representative who received pupil directory information to use it only to provide information to pupils concerning educational and career opportunities available in the Armed Forces or the Service Academies of the Armed Forces. A recruiting representative who received directory information would be prohibited from releasing that information to a person not involved in recruiting pupils for the Armed Forces or the Service Academies.
Further, public schools would be encouraged to assign one or more school employees to notify male pupils age 18 or older that they are required to register for the selective service.
The bill also would encourage the Armed Forces to work with each other to develop and use a standardized form for requesting access to a high school campus and for requesting a time for the access.
Proposed MCL 380.1852 - Legislative Analyst: Claire Layman
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would have no fiscal impact on State or local government.
- Fiscal Analyst: Joe Carrasco, Jr.S0102\s5139sa
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.