| 1 | 1 | | 2017S0441-1 03/09/17 |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Hinojosa S.B. No. 1746 |
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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 workforce continuing education offered by public junior |
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| 8 | 8 | | colleges. |
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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. Chapter 130, Education Code, is amended by |
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| 11 | 11 | | adding Subchapter L to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | SUBCHAPTER L. WORKFORCE CONTINUING EDUCATION |
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| 13 | 13 | | Sec. 130.301. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter: |
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| 14 | 14 | | (1) "Adult" means a person who: |
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| 15 | 15 | | (A) has completed sophomore year of high school; |
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| 16 | 16 | | (B) is 17 years of age and has been awarded a high |
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| 17 | 17 | | school diploma or its equivalent; or |
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| 18 | 18 | | (C) is 18 years of age or older, regardless of the |
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| 19 | 19 | | person's previous educational experience. |
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| 20 | 20 | | (2) "Avocational course" means a course of study in a |
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| 21 | 21 | | subject or activity that is usually engaged in by a person in |
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| 22 | 22 | | addition to the person's regular work or profession for recreation |
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| 23 | 23 | | or in relation to a hobby. The term includes a community interest |
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| 24 | 24 | | course. |
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| 25 | 25 | | (3) "Coordinating board" means the Texas Higher |
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| 26 | 26 | | Education Coordinating Board. |
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| 27 | 27 | | (4) "Workforce continuing education" means a program |
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| 28 | 28 | | of instruction that: |
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| 29 | 29 | | (A) is designed primarily for adults; and |
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| 30 | 30 | | (B) is intended, on completion by a participant, |
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| 31 | 31 | | to prepare the participant to qualify to apply for and accept an |
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| 32 | 32 | | employment offer or a job upgrade within a specific occupational |
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| 33 | 33 | | category or to bring the participant's knowledge or skills up to |
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| 34 | 34 | | date on new developments in a particular occupation or profession. |
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| 35 | 35 | | (5) "Workforce continuing education course" means a |
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| 36 | 36 | | course of instruction in workforce continuing education that is |
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| 37 | 37 | | approved by the coordinating board. The term does not include an |
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| 38 | 38 | | avocational course. |
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| 39 | 39 | | Sec. 130.302. FORMULA FUNDING FOR WORKFORCE CONTINUING |
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| 40 | 40 | | EDUCATION COURSES. Notwithstanding Section 130.003 or any other |
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| 41 | 41 | | law, contact hours attributable to the enrollment of a student in a |
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| 42 | 42 | | workforce continuing education course offered by a public junior |
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| 43 | 43 | | college shall be included in the contact hours used to determine the |
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| 44 | 44 | | college's proportionate share of state money appropriated and |
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| 45 | 45 | | distributed to public junior colleges under Sections 130.003 and |
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| 46 | 46 | | 130.0031, regardless of whether the college waives all or part of |
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| 47 | 47 | | the tuition or fees for the course under Section 130.304. |
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| 48 | 48 | | Sec. 130.303. WORKFORCE CONTINUING EDUCATION FOR HIGH |
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| 49 | 49 | | SCHOOL STUDENTS. (a) A public junior college may offer, or may |
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| 50 | 50 | | enter into an agreement with a school district, organization, or |
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| 51 | 51 | | other person that operates a high school to offer, workforce |
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| 52 | 52 | | continuing education courses to a person who: |
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| 53 | 53 | | (1) is enrolled in high school on the completion of the |
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| 54 | 54 | | person's sophomore year; |
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| 55 | 55 | | (2) is enrolled in a school that is not formally |
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| 56 | 56 | | organized as a high school and is at least 16 years of age; or |
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| 57 | 57 | | (3) is attending high school while incarcerated, is at |
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| 58 | 58 | | least 16 years of age, and is not eligible for release from |
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| 59 | 59 | | incarceration before the person's 18th birthday. |
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| 60 | 60 | | (b) Courses eligible under this section do not include |
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| 61 | 61 | | learning frameworks courses, basic employability skills courses, |
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| 62 | 62 | | or basic learning skills courses. |
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| 63 | 63 | | (c) Community interest continuing education courses are not |
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| 64 | 64 | | eligible for formula funding under Section 130.302, but public |
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| 65 | 65 | | junior colleges may offer such courses using local funds. |
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| 66 | 66 | | Sec. 130.304. WAIVER OF TUITION AND FEES FOR WORKFORCE |
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| 67 | 67 | | CONTINUING EDUCATION COURSES. A public junior college may waive |
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| 68 | 68 | | all or part of the tuition or fees charged to a student for a |
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| 69 | 69 | | workforce continuing education course. |
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| 70 | 70 | | Sec. 130.305. RULES. The coordinating board shall adopt |
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| 71 | 71 | | any rules the coordinating board considers necessary for the |
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| 72 | 72 | | administration of this subchapter. In adopting those rules, the |
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| 73 | 73 | | coordinating board shall use the negotiated rulemaking procedures |
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| 74 | 74 | | under Chapter 2008, Government Code. |
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| 75 | 75 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |
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