| 1 | | - | H.B. No. 3601 |
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| 1 | + | By: Bell of Montgomery, et al. H.B. No. 3601 |
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| 2 | + | (Senate Sponsor - Menéndez) |
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| 3 | + | (In the Senate - Received from the House May 6, 2019; |
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| 4 | + | May 10, 2019, read first time and referred to Committee on Higher |
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| 5 | + | Education; May 19, 2019, reported favorably by the following vote: |
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| 6 | + | Yeas 9, Nays 0; May 19, 2019, sent to printer.) |
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| 7 | + | Click here to see the committee vote |
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| 4 | 11 | | AN ACT |
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| 5 | 12 | | relating to the recognition by the Texas Higher Education |
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| 6 | 13 | | Coordinating Board of competency-based education degree plans for |
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| 7 | 14 | | members of the Texas military forces. |
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| 8 | 15 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 9 | 16 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, is |
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| 10 | 17 | | amended by adding Section 61.0521 to read as follows: |
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| 11 | 18 | | Sec. 61.0521. RECOGNITION OF COMPETENCY-BASED EDUCATION |
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| 12 | 19 | | DEGREE PLANS FOR MEMBERS OF TEXAS MILITARY FORCES. (a) In this |
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| 13 | 20 | | section, "Texas military forces" has the meaning assigned by |
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| 14 | 21 | | Section 437.001, Government Code. |
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| 15 | 22 | | (b) The board may approve an institution of higher education |
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| 16 | 23 | | recognized by the board to offer a degree in coordination with the |
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| 17 | 24 | | Texas Military Department that uses alternative methods of |
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| 18 | 25 | | determining mastery of program content, including competency-based |
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| 19 | 26 | | education. |
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| 20 | 27 | | (c) To be eligible for a degree approved under this section, |
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| 21 | 28 | | a person must: |
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| 22 | 29 | | (1) have graduated from high school or received the |
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| 23 | 30 | | equivalent of a high school diploma; |
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| 24 | 31 | | (2) satisfy the minimum active military service |
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| 25 | 32 | | obligation to the Texas military forces for a degree plan as |
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| 26 | 33 | | follows: |
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| 27 | 34 | | (A) for an associate degree, two years of |
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| 28 | 35 | | service; |
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| 29 | 36 | | (B) for a baccalaureate degree, four years of |
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| 30 | 37 | | service; and |
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| 31 | 38 | | (C) for a graduate degree, six years of service; |
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| 32 | 39 | | and |
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| 33 | 40 | | (3) complete and meet the standards of the degree |
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| 34 | 41 | | plan. |
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| 35 | 42 | | (d) The board may propose rules to establish requirements |
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| 36 | 43 | | under which a person's training and experience acquired during the |
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| 37 | 44 | | person's military service serve as proof of the person's |
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| 38 | 45 | | demonstration of subject matter knowledge if that training and |
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| 39 | 46 | | experience are verified by the Texas Military Department. |
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| 40 | 47 | | SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with degree plans |
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| 41 | 48 | | offered for enrollment for the 2020-2021 academic year. |
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| 42 | 49 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |
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| 43 | | - | ______________________________ ______________________________ |
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| 44 | | - | President of the Senate Speaker of the House |
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| 45 | | - | I certify that H.B. No. 3601 was passed by the House on May 3, |
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| 46 | | - | 2019, by the following vote: Yeas 140, Nays 0, 1 present, not |
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| 47 | | - | voting. |
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| 48 | | - | ______________________________ |
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| 49 | | - | Chief Clerk of the House |
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| 50 | | - | I certify that H.B. No. 3601 was passed by the Senate on May |
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| 51 | | - | 21, 2019, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0. |
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| 52 | | - | ______________________________ |
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| 53 | | - | Secretary of the Senate |
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| 54 | | - | APPROVED: _____________________ |
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| 55 | | - | Date |
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| 56 | | - | _____________________ |
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| 57 | | - | Governor |
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| 50 | + | * * * * * |
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