| 1 | 1 | | 81R14444 JRJ-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Martinez H.B. No. 2887 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to the creation of a literacy center pilot program by the |
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| 8 | 8 | | Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, is |
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| 11 | 11 | | amended by adding Section 61.0621 to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | Sec. 61.0621. LITERACY CENTER PILOT PROGRAM. (a) The board |
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| 13 | 13 | | shall establish a pilot program to establish a literacy center as a |
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| 14 | 14 | | model for institutions of higher education. To implement and |
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| 15 | 15 | | administer the program, the board shall choose a public junior |
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| 16 | 16 | | college campus that: |
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| 17 | 17 | | (1) is located in a county with a population of at |
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| 18 | 18 | | least 300,000 and has a high need for literacy services; |
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| 19 | 19 | | (2) is considered to be a center for intellectual |
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| 20 | 20 | | activity in the region of the state in which the junior college |
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| 21 | 21 | | district that operates the campus is located; and |
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| 22 | 22 | | (3) has an established reading committee on the campus |
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| 23 | 23 | | that has participated in literacy and reading projects with other |
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| 24 | 24 | | entities in the community. |
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| 25 | 25 | | (b) The literacy center pilot program shall: |
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| 26 | 26 | | (1) emphasize advanced literacy, enhance reading |
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| 27 | 27 | | skills, and encourage voluntary reading; |
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| 28 | 28 | | (2) imbed reading throughout the curriculum; |
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| 29 | 29 | | (3) provide training to faculty concerning the |
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| 30 | 30 | | purposes of the program; |
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| 31 | 31 | | (4) have a primary focus on students of the |
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| 32 | 32 | | institution of higher education; |
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| 33 | 33 | | (5) provide outreach to local schools and the |
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| 34 | 34 | | community; and |
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| 35 | 35 | | (6) incorporate and coordinate with other national |
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| 36 | 36 | | efforts and programs in literacy, which may include those that |
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| 37 | 37 | | focus on science, health and wellness, civics, business and |
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| 38 | 38 | | finance, technology, sustainability and the environment, |
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| 39 | 39 | | philosophy, ethics, religion, and literature and the arts. |
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| 40 | 40 | | (c) The public junior college campus chosen by the board |
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| 41 | 41 | | shall cooperate with community libraries, local school districts, |
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| 42 | 42 | | and other local entities to implement and administer the program. |
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| 43 | 43 | | (d) The board shall allocate funds appropriated for |
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| 44 | 44 | | purposes of this section to support the pilot program. |
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| 45 | 45 | | (e) Not later than January 1, 2011, the governing board of |
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| 46 | 46 | | the junior college district that operates the campus selected to |
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| 47 | 47 | | administer the literacy center pilot program shall report to the |
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| 48 | 48 | | chairs of the standing committees of each house of the legislature |
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| 49 | 49 | | with jurisdiction over education. The report must include |
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| 50 | 50 | | information regarding the progress made in improving the literacy |
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| 51 | 51 | | of students on the campus that participated in the program and in |
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| 52 | 52 | | the community, and include recommendations for establishing |
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| 53 | 53 | | similar programs at other institutions of higher education. |
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| 54 | 54 | | (f) This section expires September 1, 2011. |
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| 55 | 55 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 56 | 56 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 57 | 57 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 58 | 58 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 59 | 59 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |
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