87R8047 KJE-D
By: Turner of Tarrant H.B. No. 2033
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the establishment by the Texas Higher Education
Coordinating Board of a grant program for regional postsecondary
education collaboratives.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding
Subchapter W to read as follows:
SUBCHAPTER W. REGIONAL POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION
COLLABORATIVES GRANT PROGRAM
Sec. 61.931. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
(1) "Low-income student" means a student who is
eligible to receive a grant under the federal Pell Grant program.
(2) "Regional postsecondary education collaborative"
means a partnership or other collaboration between stakeholders in
education, such as school districts, institutions of higher
education, private or independent institutions of higher
education, employers, and communities, to improve postsecondary
educational outcomes in a region of the state.
Sec. 61.932. GRANT PROGRAM. (a) The board shall establish
and administer a competitive grant program under which the board
awards grants to eligible regional postsecondary education
collaboratives to improve postsecondary educational outcomes for
low-income students in the state.
(b) In awarding grants under the program, the board shall
give priority to eligible regional postsecondary education
collaboratives that:
(1) focus on supporting low-income students; or
(2) have a demonstrated connection to critical
workforce fields, as determined by the board.
Sec. 61.933. ELIGIBILITY. To be eligible to receive a grant
under this subchapter, a regional postsecondary education
collaborative must:
(1) raise a minimum amount of funding from other
sources for the collaborative's costs, as established by board
rule;
(2) provide, at a minimum, a scholarship to students
in an amount that, when combined with other federal or state student
financial assistance for which the student is eligible, covers the
full cost of tuition and required fees for two academic years at a
public junior college;
(3) build partnerships committed to changing
postsecondary education systems and improving postsecondary
educational outcomes through the use of data, mutual
accountability, and engagement between a student and the student's
community;
(4) measure the collaborative's success by achievement
of increasing postsecondary enrollment and completion at any
institution of higher education or private or independent
institution of higher education and career entry for all students
the collaborative assists;
(5) provide personalized outreach to students and
parents;
(6) provide proactive, holistic supports to assist
students in postsecondary persistence and completion and in
connecting with employers; and
(7) satisfy any additional requirements established
by board rule.
Sec. 61.934. GRANT AMOUNT. (a) A grant awarded to an
eligible regional postsecondary education collaborative under the
program must be made for two sequential academic years and consists
of:
(1) an initial amount at the beginning of each
academic year equal to $1,000 for each low-income student who:
(A) graduated from high school in the preceding
school year; and
(B) enrolls at an institution of higher education
or a private or independent institution of higher education for
that academic year with the assistance of the collaborative; and
(2) at the end of the academic year for which the
initial amount under Subdivision (1) is awarded, a bonus for each
student described by Subdivision (1) who:
(A) persists at an institution of higher
education or a private or independent institution of higher
education, as determined by board rule, except that the bonus may be
awarded only for the number of those students in excess of the
number of students described by Subdivision (1) who would need to
persist at an institution of higher education or a private or
independent institution of higher education for the students'
persistence rate to be equal to the statewide persistence rate of
low-income students at all institutions of higher education or
private or independent institutions of higher education during the
2018-2019 academic year; or
(B) timely completes a certificate or degree
program at an institution of higher education or a private or
independent institution of higher education, as provided by
Subsection (d), except that the bonus may be awarded only for the
number of those students in excess of the number of students
described by Subdivision (1) who would need to timely complete a
certificate or degree program at an institution of higher education
or a private or independent institution of higher education for the
students' timely completion rate to be equal to the statewide
timely completion rate of low-income students at institutions of
higher education or private or independent institutions of higher
education during the 2018-2019 academic year.
(b) The bonus per student under Subsection (a)(2)(A) is an
amount equal to $25 million divided by the total number of students
who qualify for the bonus.
(c) The bonus per student under Subsection (a)(2)(B) is an
amount equal to $20 million divided by the total number of students
who qualify for the bonus.
(d) For purposes of this section, "timely completion" means
completion of a certificate or degree program within one and
one-half times the number of calendar years generally required to
complete the program, as determined by the board.
Sec. 61.935. GRANT USE. A grant awarded to an eligible
regional postsecondary education collaborative under this
subchapter may be used only for:
(1) staff support for the collaborative;
(2) student services designed to increase
postsecondary enrollment, persistence, and completion;
(3) student financial assistance;
(4) programs that provide training for regional jobs
in high demand that pay a living wage; and
(5) other expenses approved by the board.
Sec. 61.936. REPORTING. (a) Each regional postsecondary
education collaborative that receives a grant under this subchapter
shall collect and report to the board information regarding
postsecondary enrollment, persistence, and completion,
disaggregated by semester or term, as required by the board to
assist the board in fulfilling its duties under this subchapter.
(b) Not later than December 1 of each year, the board shall
submit to the legislature a report on the effectiveness of the grant
program established under this subchapter and any recommendations
for legislative or other action.
Sec. 61.937. RULES. The board may adopt rules as necessary
to implement this subchapter.
Sec. 61.938. FEDERAL FUNDING CONTINGENCY. The board is
required to implement the grant program established under this
subchapter only if federal funding is provided to the board for that
purpose as part of any federal coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
relief spending appropriated on or after January 1, 2021. If such
funding is not provided for that purpose, the board may, but is not
required to, implement the grant program using other money
available to the board for that purpose.
SECTION 2. (a) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating
Board shall adopt rules to administer Subchapter W, Chapter 61,
Education Code, as added by this Act, as soon as practicable after
the effective date of this Act.
(b) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall
begin awarding grants under Subchapter W, Chapter 61, Education
Code, as added by this Act, for the first academic year for which
federal funding is appropriated for that purpose.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2021.