Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas House Bill HB2765 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	87R7726 KJE-F
2	2	By: Rogers H.B. No. 2765
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the creation of a rural dual credit grant program by the
8	8	Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, is
11	11	amended by adding Section 61.0765 to read as follows:
12	12	Sec. 61.0765. RURAL DUAL CREDIT GRANT PROGRAM. (a) The
13	13	board shall establish a grant program under which the board awards
14	14	grants to eligible public junior colleges to provide financial
15	15	assistance to educationally disadvantaged high school students for
16	16	all or part of the cost of enrolling in dual credit courses at the
17	17	college.
18	18	(b) A public junior college is eligible to receive a grant
19	19	under the grant program if the college is in the small or medium
20	20	public junior college peer group, as identified by the board.
21	21	(c) A public junior college that receives a grant under the
22	22	grant program must:
23	23	(1) use the grant funds to provide financial
24	24	assistance to eligible students for all or part of the cost of
25	25	tuition and required fees for dual credit courses at the college;
26	26	(2) work with high schools that partner with the
27	27	college to provide dual credit courses and elect to participate in
28	28	the grant program to:
29	29	(A) inform eligible students regarding the grant
30	30	program and how those courses relate to postsecondary education and
31	31	career paths; and
32	32	(B) assist eligible students in applying to
33	33	enroll in those courses; and
34	34	(3) collect and report to the board data on:
35	35	(A) participation rates of eligible students in
36	36	the grant program;
37	37	(B) outreach efforts regarding the grant
38	38	program; and
39	39	(C) the percentage of eligible students
40	40	receiving financial assistance under the grant program who graduate
41	41	from high school:
42	42	(i) in the top 10 percent of the student's
43	43	high school class; or
44	44	(ii) with a workforce certificate or
45	45	credential.
46	46	(d) A student is eligible to receive financial assistance
47	47	from a public junior college under the grant program if the student:
48	48	(1) is educationally disadvantaged;
49	49	(2) is enrolled in a participating public or private
50	50	high school, including a home school, in the service area of the
51	51	college; and
52	52	(3) has completed less than 60 semester credit hours
53	53	at an institution of higher education.
54	54	(e) Funds provided to an eligible student under the grant
55	55	program must be used for the cost of tuition or required fees for
56	56	dual credit courses at the public junior college.
57	57	(f) A public or private high school, including a home
58	58	school, that partners with a public junior college to provide dual
59	59	credit courses and elects to participate in the grant program must
60	60	provide to students in grade nine or the equivalent information
61	61	regarding dual credit opportunities and the funding available for
62	62	dual credit courses under the grant program.
63	63	SECTION 2. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
64	64	shall establish the grant program under Section 61.0765, Education
65	65	Code, as added by this Act, as soon as practicable following the
66	66	effective date of this Act.
67	67	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
68	68	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
69	69	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
70	70	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
71	71	Act takes effect September 1, 2021.