| 1 | 1 | | 81R1777 KSD-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Shapleigh S.B. No. 668 |
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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 establishment of a student mentorship pilot program |
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| 8 | 8 | | at certain institutions of higher education. |
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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 61.0593 to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | Sec. 61.0593. STUDENT MENTORSHIP PILOT PROGRAM. (a) The |
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| 13 | 13 | | board shall establish a pilot program under which students enrolled |
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| 14 | 14 | | in their senior year at a participating general academic teaching |
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| 15 | 15 | | institution are paid to mentor incoming freshman students at the |
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| 16 | 16 | | institution in an effort to increase the retention and success of |
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| 17 | 17 | | those students. |
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| 18 | 18 | | (b) The board shall select not more than five general |
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| 19 | 19 | | academic teaching institutions to participate in the pilot program |
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| 20 | 20 | | from among institutions that apply to participate in the manner |
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| 21 | 21 | | prescribed by board rule. |
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| 22 | 22 | | (c) In consultation with general academic teaching |
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| 23 | 23 | | institutions, the board shall adopt rules consistent with this |
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| 24 | 24 | | section as necessary to implement this section, including rules |
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| 25 | 25 | | establishing: |
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| 26 | 26 | | (1) the manner in which: |
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| 27 | 27 | | (A) an institution may apply to participate in |
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| 28 | 28 | | the pilot program; and |
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| 29 | 29 | | (B) institutions and students are selected to |
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| 30 | 30 | | participate in the pilot program; |
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| 31 | 31 | | (2) the requirements for participating in the pilot |
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| 32 | 32 | | program; |
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| 33 | 33 | | (3) general guidelines for the mentoring to be |
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| 34 | 34 | | provided under the pilot program, including guidelines for the |
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| 35 | 35 | | methods and content the board considers most critical to ensuring |
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| 36 | 36 | | student retention and success; and |
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| 37 | 37 | | (4) criteria to ensure that each student providing |
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| 38 | 38 | | mentoring under the pilot program: |
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| 39 | 39 | | (A) receives appropriate training and |
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| 40 | 40 | | supervision; and |
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| 41 | 41 | | (B) is paid at least the minimum wage required by |
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| 42 | 42 | | law. |
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| 43 | 43 | | (d) The pilot program may be funded by: |
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| 44 | 44 | | (1) legislative appropriations; or |
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| 45 | 45 | | (2) gifts, grants, and donations described by |
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| 46 | 46 | | Subsection (e). |
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| 47 | 47 | | (e) The board may solicit and accept gifts, grants, and |
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| 48 | 48 | | donations from any public or private source for the purposes of this |
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| 49 | 49 | | section. |
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| 50 | 50 | | (f) Not later than December 1, 2010, the board shall submit |
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| 51 | 51 | | a report to the legislature on: |
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| 52 | 52 | | (1) the progress of and level of participation in the |
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| 53 | 53 | | pilot program; and |
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| 54 | 54 | | (2) the impact of the pilot program on the retention |
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| 55 | 55 | | and success of students receiving mentoring under the program. |
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| 56 | 56 | | (g) This section expires September 1, 2011. |
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| 57 | 57 | | SECTION 2. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board |
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| 58 | 58 | | shall adopt the rules required by Section 61.0593, Education Code, |
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| 59 | 59 | | as added by this Act, as soon as practicable after this Act takes |
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| 60 | 60 | | effect. For that purpose, the coordinating board may adopt the |
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| 61 | 61 | | initial rules in the manner provided by law for emergency rules. |
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| 62 | 62 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 63 | 63 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 64 | 64 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 65 | 65 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 66 | 66 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |
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