Texas 2009 - 81st Regular

Texas House Bill HB181 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	81R1425 KSD-D
2	2	By: Alonzo H.B. No. 181
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to a program to provide financial incentives to students
8	8	who agree to teach bilingual education, English as a second
9	9	language, or Spanish in certain public schools.
10	10	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	11	SECTION 1. Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding
12	12	Subchapter FF to read as follows:
13	13	SUBCHAPTER FF. FINANCIAL INCENTIVE PROGRAM TO PREPARE TEACHERS IN
14	14	BILINGUAL EDUCATION, ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE, AND SPANISH
15	15	Sec. 61.9771. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM. The board shall
16	16	establish a program to provide financial incentives such as tuition
17	17	assistance or student loan repayment to:
18	18	(1) assist persons to obtain certification to teach
19	19	bilingual education, English as a second language, or Spanish in a
20	20	public elementary or secondary school in this state; and
21	21	(2) facilitate the employment of those persons by a
22	22	public elementary or secondary school in this state that has a
23	23	shortage of teachers certified to teach in those fields.
24	24	Sec. 61.9772. ELIGIBILITY. To be eligible to receive
25	25	financial incentives under this subchapter, a person must:
26	26	(1) apply to the board in the form and manner
27	27	prescribed by board rule;
28	28	(2) have completed at least 60 semester credit hours
29	29	of coursework toward an associate's degree at a public junior
30	30	college or a junior college accredited by a recognized accrediting
31	31	agency;
32	32	(3) be admitted into an educator preparation program
33	33	at an institution of higher education that prepares students for
34	34	certification to teach bilingual education, English as a second
35	35	language, or Spanish;
36	36	(4) enter into an agreement with the board as provided
37	37	by Section 61.9773; and
38	38	(5) satisfy any other criteria jointly prescribed by
39	39	the board and the State Board for Educator Certification.
40	40	Sec. 61.9773. AGREEMENT. To qualify for financial
41	41	incentives under this subchapter, a person must enter into a
42	42	written agreement with the board as provided by this section. The
43	43	agreement must require the person to:
44	44	(1) obtain, within the period prescribed by board
45	45	rule, certification to teach bilingual education, English as a
46	46	second language, or Spanish in a public elementary or secondary
47	47	school in this state;
48	48	(2) accept, during the first school year that begins
49	49	after the date the person becomes certified, an offer of full-time
50	50	employment to teach bilingual education, English as a second
51	51	language, or Spanish in a public elementary or secondary school in
52	52	this state that has a shortage of teachers certified to teach in one
53	53	or more of those fields; and
54	54	(3) teach bilingual education, English as a second
55	55	language, or Spanish at that school for at least two school years.
56	56	Sec. 61.9774. FINANCIAL INCENTIVES. The board shall award
57	57	financial incentives such as tuition assistance or student loan
58	58	repayment to each participant in the program to assist with the cost
59	59	of payment of mandatory tuition and fees for courses required to
60	60	obtain certification to teach bilingual education, English as a
61	61	second language, or Spanish.
62	62	Sec. 61.9775. REIMBURSEMENT; EXCEPTIONS. (a) A program
63	63	participant who fails to meet the requirements of Section 61.9773
64	64	shall reimburse the board for the amount of any assistance received
65	65	by the participant under this subchapter.
66	66	(b) The board by rule shall establish exceptions to the
67	67	reimbursement requirement under this section for participants who
68	68	are unable to meet the requirements of Section 61.9773 as a result
69	69	of an unusual hardship.
70	70	Sec. 61.9776. GIFTS, GRANTS, AND DONATIONS. In addition to
71	71	money appropriated by the legislature, the board may solicit and
72	72	accept gifts, grants, and donations for the purposes of this
73	73	subchapter.
74	74	Sec. 61.9777. RULES. The board shall adopt rules necessary
75	75	for the administration of this subchapter, including a rule that
76	76	sets the maximum amount of financial assistance that a person may
77	77	receive under this subchapter in one year.
78	78	SECTION 2. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
79	79	shall adopt rules for the administration of Subchapter FF, Chapter
80	80	61, Education Code, as added by this Act, as soon as practicable
81	81	after this Act takes effect. For that purpose, the coordinating
82	82	board may adopt the initial rules in the manner provided by law for
83	83	emergency rules.
84	84	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
85	85	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
86	86	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
87	87	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
88	88	Act takes effect September 1, 2009.