| 1 | 1 | | 81R2394 JSA-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Shapiro S.B. No. 172 |
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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 financial incentives and other assistance to develop |
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| 8 | 8 | | and maintain excellence in specific programs and fields of study at |
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| 9 | 9 | | public institutions of higher education. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Section 61.059, Education Code, is amended by |
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| 12 | 12 | | adding Subsection (o) to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | (o) In addition to the other funding recommendations |
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| 14 | 14 | | required by this section, biennially the board shall determine the |
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| 15 | 15 | | amount that the board considers appropriate for purposes of |
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| 16 | 16 | | providing funding under Section 61.0596 in the following state |
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| 17 | 17 | | fiscal biennium to carry out the purposes of that section and shall |
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| 18 | 18 | | make recommendations to the governor and the Legislative Budget |
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| 19 | 19 | | Board for funding those programs in that biennium. To the extent |
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| 20 | 20 | | the board considers appropriate, the board may include funding to |
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| 21 | 21 | | be provided under Section 61.0596 in the formulas established under |
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| 22 | 22 | | this section. |
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| 23 | 23 | | SECTION 2. Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, is |
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| 24 | 24 | | amended by adding Section 61.0596 to read as follows: |
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| 25 | 25 | | Sec. 61.0596. INCENTIVE FUNDING FOR EXCELLENCE IN SPECIFIC |
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| 26 | 26 | | PROGRAMS AND FIELDS. (a) The board shall administer this section |
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| 27 | 27 | | to encourage and assist institutions of higher education to develop |
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| 28 | 28 | | and maintain specific programs or fields of study of the highest |
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| 29 | 29 | | national rank or recognition for that type of program or field. |
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| 30 | 30 | | (b) From money available for the purpose, the board shall |
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| 31 | 31 | | award incentive grants to institutions of higher education the |
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| 32 | 32 | | board considers to have demonstrated the greatest commitment to |
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| 33 | 33 | | success in developing or improving a designated program or field of |
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| 34 | 34 | | study toward attaining the highest national rank or recognition. |
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| 35 | 35 | | An institution must use money received under this section to |
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| 36 | 36 | | develop, improve, or maintain the quality of the program or field |
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| 37 | 37 | | for which the grant is awarded. |
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| 38 | 38 | | (c) An institution of higher education may designate only |
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| 39 | 39 | | one program at a time for consideration for new funding under this |
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| 40 | 40 | | section. The institution may change its designation with the |
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| 41 | 41 | | consent of the board. If the board determines that an institution |
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| 42 | 42 | | has met all the applicable benchmarks for the institution's |
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| 43 | 43 | | designated program or field of study, the institution may designate |
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| 44 | 44 | | another program or field of study for consideration for new funding |
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| 45 | 45 | | under this section. |
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| 46 | 46 | | (d) The board shall establish a series of benchmarks |
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| 47 | 47 | | applicable to each program or field of study designated by an |
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| 48 | 48 | | institution of higher education under this section. The |
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| 49 | 49 | | institution becomes eligible for funding for each benchmark the |
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| 50 | 50 | | board determines that the institution has met. The board shall |
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| 51 | 51 | | establish the amount of funding for each benchmark met in a manner |
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| 52 | 52 | | that provides an effective incentive and reasonable financial |
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| 53 | 53 | | support to assist the institution to continue its efforts to meet |
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| 54 | 54 | | the remaining benchmarks for its designated program or field. |
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| 55 | 55 | | (e) Unless the board determines that a different number of |
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| 56 | 56 | | benchmarks is appropriate, the board shall establish three |
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| 57 | 57 | | benchmarks for each designated program or field of study. The board |
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| 58 | 58 | | shall employ or contract with one or more persons who have relevant |
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| 59 | 59 | | expertise and do not reside in this state to assist the board in |
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| 60 | 60 | | establishing the benchmarks and associated funding levels for each |
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| 61 | 61 | | type of program or field of study designated by an institution of |
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| 62 | 62 | | higher education under this section. |
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| 63 | 63 | | (f) In addition to supporting the programs designated by |
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| 64 | 64 | | institutions of higher education for consideration to receive |
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| 65 | 65 | | incentive funding under this section, from money available for the |
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| 66 | 66 | | purpose, the board shall provide additional money as the board |
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| 67 | 67 | | determines appropriate to assist institutions in maintaining the |
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| 68 | 68 | | excellence of programs or fields of study that have achieved the |
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| 69 | 69 | | highest national ranking or recognition for that type of program or |
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| 70 | 70 | | field. |
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| 71 | 71 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 72 | 72 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 73 | 73 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 74 | 74 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 75 | 75 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |
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