| 1 | 1 | | 86R4219 KJE-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Neave H.B. No. 617 |
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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 a study and report by the Texas Higher Education |
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| 8 | 8 | | Coordinating Board on the response by certain public and private |
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| 9 | 9 | | institutions of higher education to reports of sexual assault at |
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| 10 | 10 | | those institutions. |
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| 11 | 11 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 12 | 12 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, is |
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| 13 | 13 | | amended by adding Section 61.0666 to read as follows: |
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| 14 | 14 | | Sec. 61.0666. STUDY AND REPORT ON SEXUAL ASSAULT AT |
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| 15 | 15 | | POSTSECONDARY EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS. (a) In this section, |
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| 16 | 16 | | "postsecondary educational institution" means: |
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| 17 | 17 | | (1) an institution of higher education; or |
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| 18 | 18 | | (2) a private or independent college or university |
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| 19 | 19 | | approved for purposes of the tuition equalization grant program |
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| 20 | 20 | | under Subchapter F. |
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| 21 | 21 | | (b) The board shall conduct a study regarding the response |
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| 22 | 22 | | by postsecondary educational institutions to reports of sexual |
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| 23 | 23 | | assault committed against students enrolled at those institutions. |
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| 24 | 24 | | The study must identify policies adopted by those institutions that |
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| 25 | 25 | | have the effect of deterring students from reporting incidents of |
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| 26 | 26 | | sexual assault or of hindering investigations of those reports. |
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| 27 | 27 | | (c) Not later than December 1, 2020, the board shall submit |
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| 28 | 28 | | to the legislature a report on the board's findings. The report |
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| 29 | 29 | | must include information regarding the policies identified under |
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| 30 | 30 | | Subsection (b). |
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| 31 | 31 | | (d) This section expires September 1, 2021. |
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| 32 | 32 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 33 | 33 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 34 | 34 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 35 | 35 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 36 | 36 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |
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