TEACHER CERT. SUSPENSION FOR STRIKE S.B. 714 (S-1):
SUMMARY OF BILL
REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE
Senate Bill 714 (Substitute S-1 as reported)
Sponsor: Senator Dave Robertson
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Revised School Code to do the following:
-- Require the Superintendent of Public Instruction to notify an individual who held a teaching certificate and was believed to have engaged in a strike that his or her certificate could be suspended or revoked.
-- Require the notice to inform the person of his or her right to an administrative hearing to show cause why his or her teaching certificate should not be suspended or revoked.
-- Require the Superintendent to schedule and commence the hearing within 15 working days after the date of the notice.
-- Specify that an individual's failure to appear at a hearing would be considered a default, and require the Superintendent to suspend the individual's teaching certificate for at least two years, or revoke it, depending on the information received.
-- Require the Superintendent to issue a final decision and order within 120 working days, if the individual appeared at the hearing.
-- Provide that if the Superintendent determined at the hearing that the person had engaged in a strike, the Superintendent would have to suspend the person's teaching certificate for at least two years, or revoke the certificate, based on the evidence presented.
The bill would take effect 90 days after its enactment.
Proposed MCL 380.1535b Legislative Analyst: Jeff Mann
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill could result in additional expenses to the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs since that Department would conduct the hearing if a teacher participated in a prohibited strike and would recommend to the State Superintendent of Public Instruction the suspension of the teacher's license. At this time, the costs per hearing and number of hearings in a given year are indeterminate. The bill also could result in additional costs to a school if it had to hire a substitute teacher in the event a teacher attended a hearing, or to replace a teacher whose certificate was suspended.
In addition, the Department of Education could incur minor administrative expenses due to informing teachers that their certificate could be suspended or revoked, tracking whether a teacher attended a hearing, recording the recommendations from the proceedings, making the final decision, and revoking a teacher's certificate if the teacher engaged in a strike. At this time, the Department estimates that these costs would be minor and within current appropriations.
Date Completed: 2-3-16 Fiscal Analyst: Cory Savino
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.