| 1 | 1 | | 84R11479 KJE-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Guillen H.B. No. 3908 |
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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 a pilot program to expand joint credit programs to |
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| 8 | 8 | | include certain courses offered by career schools and colleges in |
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| 9 | 9 | | certain counties. |
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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. Subchapter B, Chapter 132, Education Code, is |
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| 12 | 12 | | amended by adding Section 132.026 to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | Sec. 132.026. JOINT CREDIT PILOT PROGRAM. (a) Subject to |
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| 14 | 14 | | available funding, the commission, in coordination with the Texas |
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| 15 | 15 | | Education Agency, shall develop and administer a pilot program |
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| 16 | 16 | | under which the commission awards grants to career schools and |
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| 17 | 17 | | colleges that partner with participating public high schools to |
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| 18 | 18 | | offer joint high school and career school or college credit for |
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| 19 | 19 | | courses in nursing and applied sciences and technology. |
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| 20 | 20 | | (b) A public high school is eligible to participate in the |
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| 21 | 21 | | pilot program only if the school is located in an economically |
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| 22 | 22 | | disadvantaged and underserved region of the state, as determined by |
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| 23 | 23 | | the commission for purposes of this section. |
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| 24 | 24 | | (c) To partner with an eligible high school under the pilot |
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| 25 | 25 | | program, a career school or college must be located in the same |
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| 26 | 26 | | county as the high school. |
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| 27 | 27 | | (d) The commission shall award grants under the pilot |
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| 28 | 28 | | program from funds appropriated for that purpose and any other |
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| 29 | 29 | | available funds. The commission may seek and accept gifts, grants, |
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| 30 | 30 | | and donations to fund the pilot program. |
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| 31 | 31 | | (e) Not later than December 1, 2016, the commission shall |
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| 32 | 32 | | submit to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the |
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| 33 | 33 | | house of representatives, and the standing legislative committees |
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| 34 | 34 | | with primary jurisdiction over education a written report on the |
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| 35 | 35 | | effectiveness of the pilot program and any recommendations for |
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| 36 | 36 | | legislative or other action. |
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| 37 | 37 | | (f) The commission shall adopt rules as necessary to |
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| 38 | 38 | | implement this section. |
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| 39 | 39 | | (g) This section expires September 1, 2017. |
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| 40 | 40 | | SECTION 2. The Texas Workforce Commission shall adopt rules |
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| 41 | 41 | | for the administration of Section 132.026, Education Code, as added |
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| 42 | 42 | | by this Act, as soon as practicable after this Act takes effect. For |
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| 43 | 43 | | that purpose, the commission may adopt the initial rules in the |
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| 44 | 44 | | manner provided by law for emergency rules. |
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| 45 | 45 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 46 | 46 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 47 | 47 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 48 | 48 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 49 | 49 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |
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