Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas House Bill HB2033 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	87R8047 KJE-D
2	2	By: Turner of Tarrant H.B. No. 2033
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the establishment by the Texas Higher Education
8	8	Coordinating Board of a grant program for regional postsecondary
9	9	education collaboratives.
10	10	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	11	SECTION 1. Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding
12	12	Subchapter W to read as follows:
13	13	SUBCHAPTER W. REGIONAL POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION
14	14	COLLABORATIVES GRANT PROGRAM
15	15	Sec. 61.931. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
16	16	(1) "Low-income student" means a student who is
17	17	eligible to receive a grant under the federal Pell Grant program.
18	18	(2) "Regional postsecondary education collaborative"
19	19	means a partnership or other collaboration between stakeholders in
20	20	education, such as school districts, institutions of higher
21	21	education, private or independent institutions of higher
22	22	education, employers, and communities, to improve postsecondary
23	23	educational outcomes in a region of the state.
24	24	Sec. 61.932. GRANT PROGRAM. (a) The board shall establish
25	25	and administer a competitive grant program under which the board
26	26	awards grants to eligible regional postsecondary education
27	27	collaboratives to improve postsecondary educational outcomes for
28	28	low-income students in the state.
29	29	(b) In awarding grants under the program, the board shall
30	30	give priority to eligible regional postsecondary education
31	31	collaboratives that:
32	32	(1) focus on supporting low-income students; or
33	33	(2) have a demonstrated connection to critical
34	34	workforce fields, as determined by the board.
35	35	Sec. 61.933. ELIGIBILITY. To be eligible to receive a grant
36	36	under this subchapter, a regional postsecondary education
37	37	collaborative must:
38	38	(1) raise a minimum amount of funding from other
39	39	sources for the collaborative's costs, as established by board
40	40	rule;
41	41	(2) provide, at a minimum, a scholarship to students
42	42	in an amount that, when combined with other federal or state student
43	43	financial assistance for which the student is eligible, covers the
44	44	full cost of tuition and required fees for two academic years at a
45	45	public junior college;
46	46	(3) build partnerships committed to changing
47	47	postsecondary education systems and improving postsecondary
48	48	educational outcomes through the use of data, mutual
49	49	accountability, and engagement between a student and the student's
50	50	community;
51	51	(4) measure the collaborative's success by achievement
52	52	of increasing postsecondary enrollment and completion at any
53	53	institution of higher education or private or independent
54	54	institution of higher education and career entry for all students
55	55	the collaborative assists;
56	56	(5) provide personalized outreach to students and
57	57	parents;
58	58	(6) provide proactive, holistic supports to assist
59	59	students in postsecondary persistence and completion and in
60	60	connecting with employers; and
61	61	(7) satisfy any additional requirements established
62	62	by board rule.
63	63	Sec. 61.934. GRANT AMOUNT. (a) A grant awarded to an
64	64	eligible regional postsecondary education collaborative under the
65	65	program must be made for two sequential academic years and consists
66	66	of:
67	67	(1) an initial amount at the beginning of each
68	68	academic year equal to $1,000 for each low-income student who:
69	69	(A) graduated from high school in the preceding
70	70	school year; and
71	71	(B) enrolls at an institution of higher education
72	72	or a private or independent institution of higher education for
73	73	that academic year with the assistance of the collaborative; and
74	74	(2) at the end of the academic year for which the
75	75	initial amount under Subdivision (1) is awarded, a bonus for each
76	76	student described by Subdivision (1) who:
77	77	(A) persists at an institution of higher
78	78	education or a private or independent institution of higher
79	79	education, as determined by board rule, except that the bonus may be
80	80	awarded only for the number of those students in excess of the
81	81	number of students described by Subdivision (1) who would need to
82	82	persist at an institution of higher education or a private or
83	83	independent institution of higher education for the students'
84	84	persistence rate to be equal to the statewide persistence rate of
85	85	low-income students at all institutions of higher education or
86	86	private or independent institutions of higher education during the
87	87	2018-2019 academic year; or
88	88	(B) timely completes a certificate or degree
89	89	program at an institution of higher education or a private or
90	90	independent institution of higher education, as provided by
91	91	Subsection (d), except that the bonus may be awarded only for the
92	92	number of those students in excess of the number of students
93	93	described by Subdivision (1) who would need to timely complete a
94	94	certificate or degree program at an institution of higher education
95	95	or a private or independent institution of higher education for the
96	96	students' timely completion rate to be equal to the statewide
97	97	timely completion rate of low-income students at institutions of
98	98	higher education or private or independent institutions of higher
99	99	education during the 2018-2019 academic year.
100	100	(b) The bonus per student under Subsection (a)(2)(A) is an
101	101	amount equal to $25 million divided by the total number of students
102	102	who qualify for the bonus.
103	103	(c) The bonus per student under Subsection (a)(2)(B) is an
104	104	amount equal to $20 million divided by the total number of students
105	105	who qualify for the bonus.
106	106	(d) For purposes of this section, "timely completion" means
107	107	completion of a certificate or degree program within one and
108	108	one-half times the number of calendar years generally required to
109	109	complete the program, as determined by the board.
110	110	Sec. 61.935. GRANT USE. A grant awarded to an eligible
111	111	regional postsecondary education collaborative under this
112	112	subchapter may be used only for:
113	113	(1) staff support for the collaborative;
114	114	(2) student services designed to increase
115	115	postsecondary enrollment, persistence, and completion;
116	116	(3) student financial assistance;
117	117	(4) programs that provide training for regional jobs
118	118	in high demand that pay a living wage; and
119	119	(5) other expenses approved by the board.
120	120	Sec. 61.936. REPORTING. (a) Each regional postsecondary
121	121	education collaborative that receives a grant under this subchapter
122	122	shall collect and report to the board information regarding
123	123	postsecondary enrollment, persistence, and completion,
124	124	disaggregated by semester or term, as required by the board to
125	125	assist the board in fulfilling its duties under this subchapter.
126	126	(b) Not later than December 1 of each year, the board shall
127	127	submit to the legislature a report on the effectiveness of the grant
128	128	program established under this subchapter and any recommendations
129	129	for legislative or other action.
130	130	Sec. 61.937. RULES. The board may adopt rules as necessary
131	131	to implement this subchapter.
132	132	Sec. 61.938. FEDERAL FUNDING CONTINGENCY. The board is
133	133	required to implement the grant program established under this
134	134	subchapter only if federal funding is provided to the board for that
135	135	purpose as part of any federal coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
136	136	relief spending appropriated on or after January 1, 2021. If such
137	137	funding is not provided for that purpose, the board may, but is not
138	138	required to, implement the grant program using other money
139	139	available to the board for that purpose.
140	140	SECTION 2. (a) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating
141	141	Board shall adopt rules to administer Subchapter W, Chapter 61,
142	142	Education Code, as added by this Act, as soon as practicable after
143	143	the effective date of this Act.
144	144	(b) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall
145	145	begin awarding grants under Subchapter W, Chapter 61, Education
146	146	Code, as added by this Act, for the first academic year for which
147	147	federal funding is appropriated for that purpose.
148	148	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
149	149	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
150	150	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
151	151	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
152	152	Act takes effect September 1, 2021.