Texas 2017 - 85th Regular

Texas House Bill HB4139 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	85R12458 SRS-F
2	2	By: Bohac H.B. No. 4139
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the creation of the Technology Lending Program to
8	8	provide grants to school districts and open-enrollment charter
9	9	schools.
10	10	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	11	SECTION 1. Chapter 32, Education Code, is amended by adding
12	12	Subchapter G to read as follows:
13	13	SUBCHAPTER G. TECHNOLOGY LENDING PROGRAM GRANTS
14	14	Sec. 32.301. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM. (a) The
15	15	commissioner may establish a grant program under which grants are
16	16	awarded to school districts and open-enrollment charter schools to
17	17	implement a technology lending program to provide students access
18	18	to equipment necessary to access and use electronic instructional
19	19	materials.
20	20	(b) A school district or an open-enrollment charter school
21	21	may apply to the commissioner to participate in the grant program.
22	22	In awarding grants under this subchapter for each school year, the
23	23	commissioner shall consider:
24	24	(1) the availability of existing equipment to students
25	25	in the district or school;
26	26	(2) other funding available to the district or school;
27	27	and
28	28	(3) the district's or school's technology plan.
29	29	(c) The commissioner may determine the terms of a grant
30	30	awarded under this section, including limits on the grant amount
31	31	and approved uses of grant funds.
32	32	(d) The commissioner may recover funds not used in
33	33	accordance with the terms of a grant by withholding amounts from any
34	34	state funds otherwise due to the school district or open-enrollment
35	35	charter school.
36	36	Sec. 32.302. FUNDING. (a) The commissioner may use not
37	37	more than $25 million from the state instructional materials fund
38	38	under Section 31.021 each state fiscal biennium or a different
39	39	amount determined by appropriation to administer a grant program
40	40	established under this subchapter.
41	41	(b) The cost of administering a grant program under this
42	42	subchapter must be paid from funds described by Subsection (a).
43	43	Sec. 32.303. USE OF GRANT FUNDS. (a) A school district or
44	44	open-enrollment charter school may use a grant awarded under
45	45	Section 32.301 or other local funds to purchase, maintain, and
46	46	insure equipment for a technology lending program.
47	47	(b) Equipment purchased by a school district or
48	48	open-enrollment charter school with a grant awarded under Section
49	49	32.301 is the property of the district or school.
50	50	Sec. 32.304. REVIEW OF PROGRAM. Not later than January 1,
51	51	2019, the commissioner shall review the grant program established
52	52	under this subchapter and submit a report to the governor, the
53	53	lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of representatives,
54	54	and the presiding officers of the standing committees in the senate
55	55	and house primarily responsible for public education. This section
56	56	expires September 1, 2019.
57	57	SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
58	58	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
59	59	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
60	60	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
61	61	Act takes effect September 1, 2017.