Texas 2017 - 85th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1483 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		By: Taylor of Galveston S.B. No. 1483
2		-	(Bohac)
3	2
4	3
5	4		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	5		AN ACT
7	6		relating to the creation of the Technology Lending Program to
8	7		provide grants to school districts and open-enrollment charter
9	8		schools.
10	9		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	10		SECTION 1. Chapter 32, Education Code, is amended by adding
12	11		Subchapter G to read as follows:
13	12		SUBCHAPTER G. TECHNOLOGY LENDING PROGRAM GRANTS
14	13		Sec. 32.301. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM. (a) The
15	14		commissioner may establish a grant program under which grants are
16	15		awarded to school districts and open-enrollment charter schools to
17	16		implement a technology lending program to provide students access
18	17		to equipment necessary to access and use electronic instructional
19	18		materials.
20	19		(b) A school district or an open-enrollment charter school
21	20		may apply to the commissioner to participate in the grant program.
22	21		In awarding grants under this subchapter for each school year, the
23	22		commissioner shall consider:
24	23		(1) the availability of existing equipment to students
25	24		in the district or school;
26	25		(2) other funding available to the district or school;
27	26		and
28	27		(3) the district's or school's technology plan.
29	28		(c) The commissioner may determine the terms of a grant
30	29		awarded under this section, including limits on the grant amount
31	30		and approved uses of grant funds.
32	31		(d) The commissioner may recover funds not used in
33	32		accordance with the terms of a grant by withholding amounts from any
34	33		state funds otherwise due to the school district or open-enrollment
35	34		charter school.
36	35		Sec. 32.302. FUNDING. (a) The commissioner may use not
37	36		more than $25 million from the state instructional materials fund
38	37		under Section 31.021 each state fiscal biennium or a different
39	38		amount determined by appropriation to administer a grant program
40	39		established under this subchapter.
41	40		(b) The cost of administering a grant program under this
42	41		subchapter must be paid from funds described by Subsection (a).
43	42		Sec. 32.303. USE OF GRANT FUNDS. (a) A school district or
44	43		open-enrollment charter school may use a grant awarded under
45	44		Section 32.301 or other local funds to purchase, maintain, and
46	45		insure equipment for a technology lending program.
47	46		(b) Equipment purchased by a school district or
48	47		open-enrollment charter school with a grant awarded under Section
49	48		32.301 is the property of the district or school.
50	49		Sec. 32.304. REVIEW OF PROGRAM. Not later than January 1,
51	50		2019, the commissioner shall review the grant program established
52	51		under this subchapter and submit a report to the governor, the
53	52		lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of representatives,
54	53		and the presiding officers of the standing committees in the senate
55	54		and house primarily responsible for public education. This section
56	55		expires September 1, 2019.
57	56		SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
58	57		a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
59	58		provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
60	59		Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
61	60		Act takes effect September 1, 2017.