Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SR563 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	87R30558 KJE-D
2	2	By: West S.R. No. 563
3	3
4	4
5	5	R E S O L U T I O N
6	6	BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the State of Texas, 87th
7	7	Legislature, Regular Session, 2021, That Senate Rule 12.03 be
8	8	suspended in part as provided by Senate Rule 12.08 to enable the
9	9	conference committee appointed to resolve the differences on House
10	10	Bill 2030 (certain grant programs, scholarships, and initiatives
11	11	administered by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board) to
12	12	consider and take action on the following matters:
13	13	(1) Senate Rule 12.03(4) is suspended to permit the
14	14	committee to add text on a matter not included in either the house
15	15	or senate version of the bill by adding the following SECTIONS to
16	16	the bill:
17	17	SECTION 2. Section 61.9773(a), Education Code, is amended
18	18	to read as follows:
19	19	(a) To receive a scholarship under this subchapter, a
20	20	student must enter into an agreement with the board as provided by
21	21	this section. The agreement must require the student to:
22	22	(1) complete:
23	23	(A) one year of ROTC training for each year that
24	24	the student receives the scholarship, up to a maximum requirement
25	25	of four years of ROTC training; or
26	26	(B) [complete] another undergraduate officer
27	27	commissioning program such as the United States Marine Corps
28	28	Platoon Leaders Class;
29	29	(2) graduate not later than six years after the date
30	30	the student first enrolls in a public or private institution of
31	31	higher education in this state;
32	32	(3) after graduation, enter into:
33	33	(A) a four-year commitment to be a member of the
34	34	Texas Army National Guard, Texas Air National Guard, Texas State
35	35	Guard, United States Coast Guard, or United States Merchant Marine;
36	36	or
37	37	(B) a contract to serve as a commissioned officer
38	38	in any branch of the armed services of the United States;
39	39	(4) meet the physical examination requirements and all
40	40	other prescreening requirements of the Texas Army National Guard,
41	41	Texas Air National Guard, Texas State Guard, United States Coast
42	42	Guard, or United States Merchant Marine or the branch of the armed
43	43	services with which the student enters into a contract; and
44	44	(5) agree to repay the scholarship if the student:
45	45	(A) fails to maintain satisfactory academic
46	46	progress;
47	47	(B) withdraws from the scholarship program; or
48	48	(C) fails to fulfill a commitment or contract
49	49	described by Subdivision (3).
50	50	SECTION 3. Subchapter FF, Chapter 61, Education Code, is
51	51	amended by adding Section 61.97731 to read as follows:
52	52	Sec. 61.97731. NOTICE REGARDING MINIMUM AND REQUIRED ROTC
53	53	TRAINING. The board shall post on the board's Internet website and
54	54	provide to each student before the student enters into an agreement
55	55	with the board under Section 61.9773 information regarding the
56	56	number of years of ROTC training that each entity described by
57	57	Section 61.9773(a)(3) requires or recommends before entering into a
58	58	commitment or contract described by that subdivision.
59	59	SECTION 6. Section 61.9773(a), Education Code, as amended
60	60	by this Act, applies beginning with a Texas Armed Services
61	61	Scholarship awarded for the 2022-2023 academic year. A Texas Armed
62	62	Services Scholarship awarded for an academic year before that
63	63	academic year is governed by the law in effect when the scholarship
64	64	was awarded, and the former law is continued in effect for that
65	65	purpose.
66	66	Explanation: This change is necessary to require students who
67	67	receive a scholarship under the Texas Armed Services Scholarship
68	68	Program to complete a certain number of years of ROTC training and
69	69	to require the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to provide
70	70	notice to those students of certain information regarding ROTC
71	71	training.
72	72	(2) Senate Rule 12.03(4) is suspended to permit the
73	73	committee to add text on a matter not included in either the house
74	74	or senate version of the bill by adding the following SECTION to the
75	75	bill:
76	76	SECTION 4. Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding
77	77	Subchapter OO to read as follows:
78	78	SUBCHAPTER OO. TEXAS BRAIN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH INITIATIVE
79	79	Sec. 61.9971. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
80	80	(1) "Advisory board" means the Texas brain university
81	81	research initiative advisory board.
82	82	(2) "Distinguished researcher" means a researcher who
83	83	is an expert in:
84	84	(A) the causes of and prevention, treatment,
85	85	rehabilitation, and cures for brain-related diseases, syndromes,
86	86	disorders, dysfunction, injuries, developmental issues,
87	87	neurological health issues, mental and behavioral health issues,
88	88	and substance abuse disorders and other addictions; or
89	89	(B) any other area impacting the brain, including
90	90	an area that directly or indirectly impacts or is impacted by the
91	91	brain or brain health, such as the gut microbiome, nutrition, and
92	92	the spinal cord or nervous system.
93	93	(3) "Eligible institution" means a general academic
94	94	teaching institution, a health-related institution, a nonprofit
95	95	research institution, and a private or independent college or
96	96	university located in this state and accredited by a recognized
97	97	accrediting agency. The term includes a historically black college
98	98	or university.
99	99	(4) "Fund" means the Texas brain university research
100	100	initiative fund established under this subchapter.
101	101	(5) "Health-related institution" means:
102	102	(A) a medical and dental unit and any other
103	103	public health science center, public medical school, or public
104	104	dental school established by statute or in accordance with this
105	105	chapter; and
106	106	(B) a private medical, dental, or public health
107	107	college or university located in this state and accredited by a
108	108	recognized accrediting agency.
109	109	Sec. 61.9972. ADMINISTRATION OF INITIATIVE. (a) The Texas
110	110	brain university research initiative is administered by the board.
111	111	(b) From the Texas brain university research initiative
112	112	fund, the board shall award matching grants to assist eligible
113	113	institutions in recruiting distinguished researchers.
114	114	(c) The board may adopt any rules the board considers
115	115	necessary to administer this subchapter.
116	116	Sec. 61.9973. MATCHING GRANTS. (a) An eligible
117	117	institution may apply to the board for a matching grant from the
118	118	fund. The board may only consider grant applications that are
119	119	recommended to the board by the advisory board. If the board
120	120	approves a grant application, the board shall award to the
121	121	applicant institution a grant amount equal to the amount committed
122	122	by the institution for the recruitment of a distinguished
123	123	researcher, except as provided by Subsection (c)(2).
124	124	(b) A grant application must identify the source and amount
125	125	of the eligible institution's matching funds and must demonstrate
126	126	that the proposed use of the grant has the support of the
127	127	institution's president. An applicant eligible institution may
128	128	commit for matching purposes any funds of the institution available
129	129	for that purpose other than appropriated general revenue.
130	130	(c) The board may set one or more deadlines for grant
131	131	applications for each state fiscal year. After fully funding
132	132	approved grant applications received during an application period
133	133	for a state fiscal year, the board may reopen applications for that
134	134	year and:
135	135	(1) award the full amount of matching funds from the
136	136	fund for new applications; or
137	137	(2) approve previously disapproved applications
138	138	submitted before the original application deadline for receipt of a
139	139	reduced grant amount.
140	140	(d) A matching grant received by an eligible institution
141	141	under this subchapter may not be considered as a basis to reduce,
142	142	directly or indirectly, the amount of money otherwise appropriated
143	143	to the institution.
144	144	(e) A matching grant may not be used by an eligible
145	145	institution to recruit a distinguished researcher or other employee
146	146	from:
147	147	(1) another eligible institution; or
148	148	(2) a private or independent institution of higher
149	149	education.
150	150	(f) The board shall require an application and all
151	151	supporting documentation to be submitted to the board
152	152	electronically in the manner prescribed by the board.
153	153	Sec. 61.9974. GRANT AWARD CRITERIA; PRIORITIES. (a) In
154	154	awarding grants, the board shall give priority to proposals that:
155	155	(1) involve the recruitment of distinguished
156	156	researchers, including researchers who study mental and behavioral
157	157	health issues arising from the COVID-19 pandemic; or
158	158	(2) demonstrate a reasonable likelihood of
159	159	contributing substantially to this state's national and global
160	160	economic competitiveness.
161	161	(b) A grant proposal must include a description of the
162	162	distinguished researcher or researchers the grant applicant is
163	163	recruiting and the research field of the distinguished researcher
164	164	or researchers, and may include a sample list of potential
165	165	distinguished researcher targets.
166	166	Sec. 61.9975. TEXAS BRAIN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH INITIATIVE
167	167	FUND. (a) The Texas brain university research initiative fund is a
168	168	dedicated account in the general revenue fund.
169	169	(b) The fund consists of:
170	170	(1) amounts appropriated or otherwise allocated or
171	171	transferred by law to the fund; and
172	172	(2) gifts, grants, and other donations received for
173	173	the fund.
174	174	(c) The fund may be used by the board only for the purposes
175	175	of this subchapter, including for necessary expenses incurred in
176	176	the administration of the fund and this subchapter.
177	177	Sec. 61.9976. CONFIDENTIALITY. Information collected or
178	178	obtained by the board or the advisory board concerning the identity
179	179	of a particular distinguished researcher who is the subject of a
180	180	grant proposal under this subchapter is confidential unless the
181	181	researcher and the applicant eligible institution consent to
182	182	disclosure of the information. The information remains
183	183	confidential until the date, if any, on which the researcher enters
184	184	into an employment relationship with the recruiting institution as
185	185	contemplated in the grant proposal.
186	186	Sec. 61.9977. ADVISORY BOARD. (a) The Texas brain
187	187	university research initiative advisory board is established to
188	188	assist the board with the review and evaluation of applications for
189	189	funding of grant proposals under this subchapter. The advisory
190	190	board shall make recommendations to the board for approval or
191	191	disapproval of those applications.
192	192	(b) The advisory board must be composed of at least nine
193	193	members appointed by the governor. Of the members of the board:
194	194	(1) one-third of the members, as nearly as possible,
195	195	must have a background in finance;
196	196	(2) one-third of the members, as nearly as possible,
197	197	must have an academic background in science, medicine, or brain
198	198	health; and
199	199	(3) one-third of the members, as nearly as possible,
200	200	must be public members.
201	201	(c) Chapter 2110, Government Code, does not apply to the
202	202	size, composition, or duration of the advisory board.
203	203	(d) A member of the advisory board who is or has been
204	204	employed by, is or has been a party to a contract for any purpose
205	205	with, or is a student or former student of an applicant eligible
206	206	institution may not be involved in the review, evaluation, or
207	207	recommendation of a grant proposal made by that institution.
208	208	(e) An advisory board member is not required to be a
209	209	resident of this state.
210	210	(f) Appointments to the advisory board shall be made without
211	211	regard to the race, color, disability, sex, religion, age, or
212	212	national origin of the appointees.
213	213	(g) Members of the advisory board serve without
214	214	compensation but are entitled to reimbursement for actual and
215	215	necessary expenses in attending meetings of the advisory board or
216	216	performing other official duties authorized by the board.
217	217	(h) The advisory board shall develop a research plan to
218	218	foster synergistic investigation into brain health and research by
219	219	eligible institutions.
220	220	Explanation: This change is necessary to provide for the
221	221	creation of the Texas brain university research initiative.