Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas House Bill HB2766 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		87R7725 KJE-F
2		-	By: Rogers, Morrison, Lambert, Ashby, Fierro, H.B. No. 2766
3		-	et al.
	2	+	By: Rogers, Morrison, Lambert, Ashby, Fierro H.B. No. 2766
4	3
5	4
6	5		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
7	6		AN ACT
8	7		relating to the creation of a rural dual credit pilot program by the
9	8		Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
10	9		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	10		SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, is
12	11		amended by adding Section 61.0765 to read as follows:
13	12		Sec. 61.0765. RURAL DUAL CREDIT PILOT PROGRAM. (a) The
14	13		board shall establish a pilot program under which the board awards
15	14		grants to participating public junior colleges to provide financial
16	15		assistance to educationally disadvantaged high school students for
17	16		all or part of the cost of enrolling in dual credit courses at the
18	17		college.
19	18		(b) The board shall select not more than 10 public junior
20	19		colleges in the small or medium public junior college peer group, as
21	20		identified by the board, to participate in the pilot program. In
22	21		selecting public junior colleges, the board shall, to the extent
23	22		practicable, ensure that at least one public junior college from
24	23		each region of the state is included.
25	24		(c) A participating public junior college must:
26	25		(1) use grant funds awarded under this section to
27	26		provide financial assistance to eligible students for all or part
28	27		of the cost of tuition and required fees for dual credit courses at
29	28		the college;
30	29		(2) work with high schools that partner with the
31	30		college to provide dual credit courses and elect to participate in
32	31		the pilot program to:
33	32		(A) inform eligible students regarding the pilot
34	33		program and how those courses relate to postsecondary education and
35	34		career paths; and
36	35		(B) assist eligible students in applying to
37	36		enroll in those courses; and
38	37		(3) collect and report to the board data on:
39	38		(A) participation rates of eligible students in
40	39		the pilot program;
41	40		(B) outreach efforts regarding the pilot
42	41		program; and
43	42		(C) the percentage of eligible students
44	43		receiving financial assistance under the pilot program who graduate
45	44		from high school:
46	45		(i) in the top 10 percent of the student's
47	46		high school class; or
48	47		(ii) with a workforce certificate or
49	48		credential.
50	49		(d) A student is eligible to receive financial assistance
51	50		under the pilot program if the student:
52	51		(1) is educationally disadvantaged;
53	52		(2) is enrolled in a participating public or private
54	53		high school, including a home school, in the service area of a
55	54		participating public junior college; and
56	55		(3) has completed less than 60 semester credit hours
57	56		at an institution of higher education.
58	57		(e) Funds provided to an eligible student under the pilot
59	58		program must be used for the cost of tuition or required fees for
60	59		dual credit courses at the participating public junior college.
61	60		(f) A public or private high school, including a home
62	61		school, that partners with a participating public junior college to
63	62		provide dual credit courses and elects to participate in the pilot
64	63		program must provide to students in grade nine or the equivalent
65	64		information regarding dual credit opportunities and the funding
66	65		available for dual credit courses under the pilot program.
67	66		(g) Not later than December 1, 2022, the board shall
68	67		evaluate the effectiveness of the pilot program and report the
69	68		results of the evaluation to the legislature. In evaluating the
70	69		pilot program, the board shall determine:
71	70		(1) any increase in:
72	71		(A) the rate of participation of eligible
73	72		students in dual credit courses;
74	73		(B) the number of dual credit semester credit
75	74		hours or the equivalent attempted by eligible students; and
76	75		(C) the number of eligible students who graduate
77	76		from high school:
78	77		(i) in the top 10 percent of the student's
79	78		high school class; or
80	79		(ii) with a workforce certificate or
81	80		credential; and
82	81		(2) whether the pilot program should be expanded to
83	82		all public junior colleges in the small and medium peer groups, as
84	83		identified by the board.
85	84		(h) This section expires September 1, 2023.
86	85		SECTION 2. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
87	86		shall establish the pilot program under Section 61.0765, Education
88	87		Code, as added by this Act, as soon as practicable following the
89	88		effective date of this Act.
90	89		SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
91	90		a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
92	91		provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
93	92		Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
94	93		Act takes effect September 1, 2021.