Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas House Bill HR2008 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	87R30559 KJE-D
2	2	By: Turner of Tarrant H.R. No. 2008
3	3
4	4
5	5	R E S O L U T I O N
6	6	BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the State of
7	7	Texas, 87th Legislature, Regular Session, 2021, That House Rule 13,
8	8	Section 9(a), be suspended in part as provided by House Rule 13,
9	9	Section 9(f), to enable the conference committee appointed to
10	10	resolve the differences on House Bill 2030 (certain grant programs,
11	11	scholarships, and initiatives administered by the Texas Higher
12	12	Education Coordinating Board) to consider and take action on the
13	13	following matters:
14	14	(1) House Rule 13, Section 9(a)(4), is suspended to permit
15	15	the committee to add text on a matter not included in either the
16	16	house or senate version of the bill by adding the following SECTIONS
17	17	to the bill:
18	18	SECTION 2. Section 61.9773(a), Education Code, is amended
19	19	to read as follows:
20	20	(a) To receive a scholarship under this subchapter, a
21	21	student must enter into an agreement with the board as provided by
22	22	this section. The agreement must require the student to:
23	23	(1) complete:
24	24	(A) one year of ROTC training for each year that
25	25	the student receives the scholarship, up to a maximum requirement
26	26	of four years of ROTC training; or
27	27	(B) [complete] another undergraduate officer
28	28	commissioning program such as the United States Marine Corps
29	29	Platoon Leaders Class;
30	30	(2) graduate not later than six years after the date
31	31	the student first enrolls in a public or private institution of
32	32	higher education in this state;
33	33	(3) after graduation, enter into:
34	34	(A) a four-year commitment to be a member of the
35	35	Texas Army National Guard, Texas Air National Guard, Texas State
36	36	Guard, United States Coast Guard, or United States Merchant Marine;
37	37	or
38	38	(B) a contract to serve as a commissioned officer
39	39	in any branch of the armed services of the United States;
40	40	(4) meet the physical examination requirements and all
41	41	other prescreening requirements of the Texas Army National Guard,
42	42	Texas Air National Guard, Texas State Guard, United States Coast
43	43	Guard, or United States Merchant Marine or the branch of the armed
44	44	services with which the student enters into a contract; and
45	45	(5) agree to repay the scholarship if the student:
46	46	(A) fails to maintain satisfactory academic
47	47	progress;
48	48	(B) withdraws from the scholarship program; or
49	49	(C) fails to fulfill a commitment or contract
50	50	described by Subdivision (3).
51	51	SECTION 3. Subchapter FF, Chapter 61, Education Code, is
52	52	amended by adding Section 61.97731 to read as follows:
53	53	Sec. 61.97731. NOTICE REGARDING MINIMUM AND REQUIRED ROTC
54	54	TRAINING. The board shall post on the board's Internet website and
55	55	provide to each student before the student enters into an agreement
56	56	with the board under Section 61.9773 information regarding the
57	57	number of years of ROTC training that each entity described by
58	58	Section 61.9773(a)(3) requires or recommends before entering into a
59	59	commitment or contract described by that subdivision.
60	60	SECTION 6. Section 61.9773(a), Education Code, as amended
61	61	by this Act, applies beginning with a Texas Armed Services
62	62	Scholarship awarded for the 2022-2023 academic year. A Texas Armed
63	63	Services Scholarship awarded for an academic year before that
64	64	academic year is governed by the law in effect when the scholarship
65	65	was awarded, and the former law is continued in effect for that
66	66	purpose.
67	67	Explanation: This change is necessary to require students
68	68	who receive a scholarship under the Texas Armed Services
69	69	Scholarship Program to complete a certain number of years of ROTC
70	70	training and to require the Texas Higher Education Coordinating
71	71	Board to provide notice to those students of certain information
72	72	regarding ROTC training.
73	73	(2) House Rule 13, Section 9(a)(4), is suspended to permit
74	74	the committee to add text on a matter not included in either the
75	75	house or senate version of the bill by adding the following SECTION
76	76	to the bill:
77	77	SECTION 4. Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding
78	78	Subchapter OO to read as follows:
79	79	SUBCHAPTER OO. TEXAS BRAIN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH INITIATIVE
80	80	Sec. 61.9971. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
81	81	(1) "Advisory board" means the Texas brain university
82	82	research initiative advisory board.
83	83	(2) "Distinguished researcher" means a researcher who
84	84	is an expert in:
85	85	(A) the causes of and prevention, treatment,
86	86	rehabilitation, and cures for brain-related diseases, syndromes,
87	87	disorders, dysfunction, injuries, developmental issues,
88	88	neurological health issues, mental and behavioral health issues,
89	89	and substance abuse disorders and other addictions; or
90	90	(B) any other area impacting the brain, including
91	91	an area that directly or indirectly impacts or is impacted by the
92	92	brain or brain health, such as the gut microbiome, nutrition, and
93	93	the spinal cord or nervous system.
94	94	(3) "Eligible institution" means a general academic
95	95	teaching institution, a health-related institution, a nonprofit
96	96	research institution, and a private or independent college or
97	97	university located in this state and accredited by a recognized
98	98	accrediting agency. The term includes a historically black college
99	99	or university.
100	100	(4) "Fund" means the Texas brain university research
101	101	initiative fund established under this subchapter.
102	102	(5) "Health-related institution" means:
103	103	(A) a medical and dental unit and any other
104	104	public health science center, public medical school, or public
105	105	dental school established by statute or in accordance with this
106	106	chapter; and
107	107	(B) a private medical, dental, or public health
108	108	college or university located in this state and accredited by a
109	109	recognized accrediting agency.
110	110	Sec. 61.9972. ADMINISTRATION OF INITIATIVE. (a) The Texas
111	111	brain university research initiative is administered by the board.
112	112	(b) From the Texas brain university research initiative
113	113	fund, the board shall award matching grants to assist eligible
114	114	institutions in recruiting distinguished researchers.
115	115	(c) The board may adopt any rules the board considers
116	116	necessary to administer this subchapter.
117	117	Sec. 61.9973. MATCHING GRANTS. (a) An eligible
118	118	institution may apply to the board for a matching grant from the
119	119	fund. The board may only consider grant applications that are
120	120	recommended to the board by the advisory board. If the board
121	121	approves a grant application, the board shall award to the
122	122	applicant institution a grant amount equal to the amount committed
123	123	by the institution for the recruitment of a distinguished
124	124	researcher, except as provided by Subsection (c)(2).
125	125	(b) A grant application must identify the source and amount
126	126	of the eligible institution's matching funds and must demonstrate
127	127	that the proposed use of the grant has the support of the
128	128	institution's president. An applicant eligible institution may
129	129	commit for matching purposes any funds of the institution available
130	130	for that purpose other than appropriated general revenue.
131	131	(c) The board may set one or more deadlines for grant
132	132	applications for each state fiscal year. After fully funding
133	133	approved grant applications received during an application period
134	134	for a state fiscal year, the board may reopen applications for that
135	135	year and:
136	136	(1) award the full amount of matching funds from the
137	137	fund for new applications; or
138	138	(2) approve previously disapproved applications
139	139	submitted before the original application deadline for receipt of a
140	140	reduced grant amount.
141	141	(d) A matching grant received by an eligible institution
142	142	under this subchapter may not be considered as a basis to reduce,
143	143	directly or indirectly, the amount of money otherwise appropriated
144	144	to the institution.
145	145	(e) A matching grant may not be used by an eligible
146	146	institution to recruit a distinguished researcher or other employee
147	147	from:
148	148	(1) another eligible institution; or
149	149	(2) a private or independent institution of higher
150	150	education.
151	151	(f) The board shall require an application and all
152	152	supporting documentation to be submitted to the board
153	153	electronically in the manner prescribed by the board.
154	154	Sec. 61.9974. GRANT AWARD CRITERIA; PRIORITIES. (a) In
155	155	awarding grants, the board shall give priority to proposals that:
156	156	(1) involve the recruitment of distinguished
157	157	researchers, including researchers who study mental and behavioral
158	158	health issues arising from the COVID-19 pandemic; or
159	159	(2) demonstrate a reasonable likelihood of
160	160	contributing substantially to this state's national and global
161	161	economic competitiveness.
162	162	(b) A grant proposal must include a description of the
163	163	distinguished researcher or researchers the grant applicant is
164	164	recruiting and the research field of the distinguished researcher
165	165	or researchers, and may include a sample list of potential
166	166	distinguished researcher targets.
167	167	Sec. 61.9975. TEXAS BRAIN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH INITIATIVE
168	168	FUND. (a) The Texas brain university research initiative fund is a
169	169	dedicated account in the general revenue fund.
170	170	(b) The fund consists of:
171	171	(1) amounts appropriated or otherwise allocated or
172	172	transferred by law to the fund; and
173	173	(2) gifts, grants, and other donations received for
174	174	the fund.
175	175	(c) The fund may be used by the board only for the purposes
176	176	of this subchapter, including for necessary expenses incurred in
177	177	the administration of the fund and this subchapter.
178	178	Sec. 61.9976. CONFIDENTIALITY. Information collected or
179	179	obtained by the board or the advisory board concerning the identity
180	180	of a particular distinguished researcher who is the subject of a
181	181	grant proposal under this subchapter is confidential unless the
182	182	researcher and the applicant eligible institution consent to
183	183	disclosure of the information. The information remains
184	184	confidential until the date, if any, on which the researcher enters
185	185	into an employment relationship with the recruiting institution as
186	186	contemplated in the grant proposal.
187	187	Sec. 61.9977. ADVISORY BOARD. (a) The Texas brain
188	188	university research initiative advisory board is established to
189	189	assist the board with the review and evaluation of applications for
190	190	funding of grant proposals under this subchapter. The advisory
191	191	board shall make recommendations to the board for approval or
192	192	disapproval of those applications.
193	193	(b) The advisory board must be composed of at least nine
194	194	members appointed by the governor. Of the members of the board:
195	195	(1) one-third of the members, as nearly as possible,
196	196	must have a background in finance;
197	197	(2) one-third of the members, as nearly as possible,
198	198	must have an academic background in science, medicine, or brain
199	199	health; and
200	200	(3) one-third of the members, as nearly as possible,
201	201	must be public members.
202	202	(c) Chapter 2110, Government Code, does not apply to the
203	203	size, composition, or duration of the advisory board.
204	204	(d) A member of the advisory board who is or has been
205	205	employed by, is or has been a party to a contract for any purpose
206	206	with, or is a student or former student of an applicant eligible
207	207	institution may not be involved in the review, evaluation, or
208	208	recommendation of a grant proposal made by that institution.
209	209	(e) An advisory board member is not required to be a
210	210	resident of this state.
211	211	(f) Appointments to the advisory board shall be made without
212	212	regard to the race, color, disability, sex, religion, age, or
213	213	national origin of the appointees.
214	214	(g) Members of the advisory board serve without
215	215	compensation but are entitled to reimbursement for actual and
216	216	necessary expenses in attending meetings of the advisory board or
217	217	performing other official duties authorized by the board.
218	218	(h) The advisory board shall develop a research plan to
219	219	foster synergistic investigation into brain health and research by
220	220	eligible institutions.
221	221	Explanation: This change is necessary to provide for the
222	222	creation of the Texas brain university research initiative.