| 1 | 1 | | 87R11356 MLH-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Powell S.B. No. 1862 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to the creation of a task force by the commissioner of |
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| 8 | 8 | | education on students residing in temporary living arrangements. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter Z, Chapter 29, Education Code, is |
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| 11 | 11 | | amended by adding Section 29.928 to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | Sec. 29.928. TASK FORCE ON STUDENTS RESIDING IN TEMPORARY |
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| 13 | 13 | | LIVING ARRANGEMENTS. (a) The commissioner shall establish a task |
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| 14 | 14 | | force to identify the number of students residing in extended stay |
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| 15 | 15 | | motels or other temporary living arrangements and study the |
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| 16 | 16 | | educational outcomes of those students. |
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| 17 | 17 | | (b) The task force is composed of an odd number of not fewer |
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| 18 | 18 | | than 13 members appointed by the commissioner and must include: |
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| 19 | 19 | | (1) an employee of a school district or |
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| 20 | 20 | | open-enrollment charter school designated as a homeless education |
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| 21 | 21 | | liaison; |
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| 22 | 22 | | (2) a representative of law enforcement; |
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| 23 | 23 | | (3) an emergency medical technician; |
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| 24 | 24 | | (4) a representative of a local mental health |
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| 25 | 25 | | authority; |
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| 26 | 26 | | (5) a representative of an extended stay motel or |
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| 27 | 27 | | similar temporary living shelter; |
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| 28 | 28 | | (6) two public school administrators; |
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| 29 | 29 | | (7) an employee of an institution of higher education, |
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| 30 | 30 | | as that term is defined by Section 61.003; |
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| 31 | 31 | | (8) a representative from a community service entity |
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| 32 | 32 | | that provides services to homeless people; |
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| 33 | 33 | | (9) a mental health services provider; |
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| 34 | 34 | | (10) a school counselor; |
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| 35 | 35 | | (11) a representative of the Texas Department of |
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| 36 | 36 | | Housing and Community Affairs; and |
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| 37 | 37 | | (12) a representative of the Health and Human Services |
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| 38 | 38 | | Commission. |
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| 39 | 39 | | (c) In appointing members to the task force, the |
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| 40 | 40 | | commissioner shall appoint, to the greatest extent practicable, |
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| 41 | 41 | | persons who reside in areas that have a significant percentage of |
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| 42 | 42 | | homeless students, as determined by the commissioner. |
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| 43 | 43 | | (d) The task force shall: |
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| 44 | 44 | | (1) identify local, state, and other laws or |
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| 45 | 45 | | regulations that negatively impact rates of student homelessness; |
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| 46 | 46 | | (2) study unseen and unintended consequences of |
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| 47 | 47 | | students residing in extended stay motels or in other temporary |
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| 48 | 48 | | living arrangements, including dropout rates and rates of |
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| 49 | 49 | | prostitution, drug use, and other negative consequences; |
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| 50 | 50 | | (3) recommend policies and resources that would assist |
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| 51 | 51 | | families and students residing in extended stay motels or in other |
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| 52 | 52 | | temporary living arrangements; |
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| 53 | 53 | | (4) recommend methods to increase student attendance |
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| 54 | 54 | | and educational outcomes for students residing in extended stay |
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| 55 | 55 | | motels or in other temporary living arrangements; and |
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| 56 | 56 | | (5) study the impact of the coronavirus disease |
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| 57 | 57 | | (COVID-19) pandemic on the student homelessness population. |
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| 58 | 58 | | (e) Not later than September 1, 2022, the task force shall |
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| 59 | 59 | | submit to the legislature a report on the task force's findings and |
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| 60 | 60 | | recommendations. The agency shall post the report on the agency's |
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| 61 | 61 | | Internet website. |
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| 62 | 62 | | (f) The task force is abolished and this section expires |
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| 63 | 63 | | September 1, 2023. |
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| 64 | 64 | | SECTION 2. As soon as practicable after the effective date |
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| 65 | 65 | | of this Act, the commissioner of education shall appoint the |
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| 66 | 66 | | members of the task force established under Section 29.928, |
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| 67 | 67 | | Education Code, as added by this Act. |
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| 68 | 68 | | SECTION 3. The commissioner of education is required to |
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| 69 | 69 | | implement this Act only if the legislature appropriates money |
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| 70 | 70 | | specifically for that purpose. If the legislature does not |
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| 71 | 71 | | appropriate money specifically for that purpose, the commissioner |
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| 72 | 72 | | may, but is not required to, implement this Act using other money |
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| 73 | 73 | | available for that purpose. |
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| 74 | 74 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 75 | 75 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 76 | 76 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 77 | 77 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 78 | 78 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
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