Texas 2015 - 84th Regular

Texas House Bill HB990 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	84R5194 KSD-D
2	2	By: Alonzo H.B. No. 990
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 LL to read as follows:
13	13	SUBCHAPTER LL. FINANCIAL INCENTIVE PROGRAM TO PREPARE TEACHERS IN
14	14	BILINGUAL EDUCATION, ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE, AND SPANISH
15	15	Sec. 61.9851. ESTABLISHMENT AND ADMINISTRATION OF PROGRAM.
16	16	(a) The board shall establish a program to provide financial
17	17	incentives such as tuition assistance or student loan repayment to:
18	18	(1) assist persons in obtaining 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	(b) In administering the program, the board shall give
25	25	priority to awarding financial incentives to those eligible persons
26	26	who demonstrate the greatest financial need.
27	27	Sec. 61.9852. ELIGIBILITY. To be eligible to receive
28	28	financial incentives under this subchapter, a person must:
29	29	(1) apply to the board in the form and manner
30	30	prescribed by board rule;
31	31	(2) have completed at least 60 semester credit hours
32	32	of course work toward an associate's degree at a public junior
33	33	college or a junior college accredited by a recognized accrediting
34	34	agency;
35	35	(3) be admitted into an educator preparation program
36	36	at an institution of higher education or at a private or independent
37	37	institution of higher education that prepares students for
38	38	certification to teach bilingual education, English as a second
39	39	language, or Spanish;
40	40	(4) enter into an agreement with the board as provided
41	41	by Section 61.9853; and
42	42	(5) satisfy any other criteria jointly prescribed by
43	43	the board and the State Board for Educator Certification.
44	44	Sec. 61.9853. AGREEMENT. To qualify for financial
45	45	incentives under this subchapter, a person must enter into a
46	46	written agreement with the board as provided by this section. The
47	47	agreement must require the person to:
48	48	(1) obtain, within the period prescribed by board
49	49	rule, certification to teach bilingual education, English as a
50	50	second language, or Spanish in a public elementary or secondary
51	51	school in this state;
52	52	(2) accept, during the first school year that begins
53	53	after the date the person becomes certified as provided by
54	54	Subdivision (1), an offer of full-time employment to teach
55	55	bilingual education, English as a second language, or Spanish in a
56	56	public elementary or secondary school in this state that has a
57	57	shortage of teachers certified to teach in one or more of those
58	58	fields; and
59	59	(3) teach bilingual education, English as a second
60	60	language, or Spanish at that school for at least two school years.
61	61	Sec. 61.9854. FINANCIAL INCENTIVES. The board shall award
62	62	financial incentives such as tuition assistance or student loan
63	63	repayment to each participant in the program to assist with the cost
64	64	of payment of mandatory tuition and fees for courses required to
65	65	obtain certification to teach bilingual education, English as a
66	66	second language, or Spanish.
67	67	Sec. 61.9855. REIMBURSEMENT; EXCEPTIONS. (a) A program
68	68	participant who fails to meet the requirements of Section 61.9853
69	69	shall reimburse the board for the amount of any assistance received
70	70	by the participant under this subchapter.
71	71	(b) The board by rule shall establish exceptions to the
72	72	reimbursement requirement under this section for participants who
73	73	are unable to meet the requirements of Section 61.9853 as a result
74	74	of an unusual hardship.
75	75	Sec. 61.9856. GIFTS, GRANTS, AND DONATIONS. In addition to
76	76	money appropriated by the legislature, the board may solicit and
77	77	accept gifts, grants, and donations for the purposes of this
78	78	subchapter.
79	79	Sec. 61.9857. RULES. The board shall adopt rules necessary
80	80	for the administration of this subchapter, including a rule that
81	81	sets the maximum amount of financial assistance that a person may
82	82	receive under this subchapter in one year.
83	83	SECTION 2. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
84	84	shall adopt rules for the administration of Subchapter LL, Chapter
85	85	61, Education Code, as added by this Act, as soon as practicable
86	86	after this Act takes effect. For that purpose, the coordinating
87	87	board may adopt the initial rules in the manner provided by law for
88	88	emergency rules.
89	89	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
90	90	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
91	91	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
92	92	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
93	93	Act takes effect September 1, 2015.