| 1 | 1 | | 88R13286 MM-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: King of Hemphill H.B. No. 3140 |
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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 eligibility requirements for the Teach for Texas Loan |
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| 8 | 8 | | Repayment Assistance Program. |
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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. Section 56.352(a), Education Code, is amended to |
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| 11 | 11 | | read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | (a) The purpose of this subchapter is to attract to the: |
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| 13 | 13 | | (1) teaching profession any persons who have expressed |
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| 14 | 14 | | interest in teaching and to support the employment of those persons |
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| 15 | 15 | | as classroom teachers by providing student loan repayment |
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| 16 | 16 | | assistance for service as a classroom teacher in the public schools |
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| 17 | 17 | | of this state; and |
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| 18 | 18 | | (2) school mental health profession any persons who |
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| 19 | 19 | | have expressed interest in providing mental health services to |
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| 20 | 20 | | students enrolled in public schools and to support the employment |
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| 21 | 21 | | of those persons as school mental health professionals by providing |
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| 22 | 22 | | student loan repayment assistance for service as a mental health |
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| 23 | 23 | | provider in the public schools of this state. |
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| 24 | 24 | | SECTION 2. Sections 56.353(a) and (c), Education Code, are |
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| 25 | 25 | | amended to read as follows: |
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| 26 | 26 | | (a) Teach for Texas repayment assistance is available only |
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| 27 | 27 | | to a person who applies for the assistance and who: |
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| 28 | 28 | | (1) is certified in a teaching field identified by the |
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| 29 | 29 | | commissioner of education as experiencing a critical shortage of |
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| 30 | 30 | | teachers in this state in the year in which the person receives the |
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| 31 | 31 | | assistance and has for at least one year taught full-time at, and is |
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| 32 | 32 | | currently teaching full-time at, the preschool, primary, or |
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| 33 | 33 | | secondary level in a public school in this state in that teaching |
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| 34 | 34 | | field; [or] |
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| 35 | 35 | | (2) is a certified educator who has for at least one |
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| 36 | 36 | | year taught full-time at, and is currently teaching full-time at, |
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| 37 | 37 | | the preschool, primary, or secondary level in a public school in |
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| 38 | 38 | | this state in a community identified by the commissioner of |
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| 39 | 39 | | education as experiencing a critical shortage of teachers in the |
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| 40 | 40 | | year in which the person receives the assistance; or |
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| 41 | 41 | | (3) is a mental health professional who: |
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| 42 | 42 | | (A) for at least one year has been employed |
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| 43 | 43 | | full-time at, and provided mental health services to students |
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| 44 | 44 | | enrolled in, a public school in this state; and |
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| 45 | 45 | | (B) is currently employed and providing mental |
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| 46 | 46 | | health services as described by Paragraph (A). |
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| 47 | 47 | | (c) If the money available for loan repayment assistance in |
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| 48 | 48 | | a period for which assistance is awarded is insufficient to provide |
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| 49 | 49 | | assistance to all eligible applicants described by Subsection (b), |
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| 50 | 50 | | the coordinating board shall establish priorities for awarding |
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| 51 | 51 | | repayment assistance to address only the most critical teacher |
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| 52 | 52 | | shortages described by Subsection (a)(1) or (2) [(a)]. |
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| 53 | 53 | | SECTION 3. Section 56.355(a), Education Code, is amended to |
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| 54 | 54 | | read as follows: |
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| 55 | 55 | | (a) The coordinating board may determine the manner in which |
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| 56 | 56 | | Teach for Texas loan repayment assistance is to be paid. The |
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| 57 | 57 | | coordinating board may provide for the payment of a portion of the |
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| 58 | 58 | | repayment assistance in one or more installments before the person |
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| 59 | 59 | | completes a full year of service as a teacher or a school mental |
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| 60 | 60 | | health professional, as applicable, and for the payment of the |
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| 61 | 61 | | remainder of the repayment assistance for that year after the |
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| 62 | 62 | | completion of the full year of service. |
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| 63 | 63 | | SECTION 4. Section 56.3575(b), Education Code, is amended |
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| 64 | 64 | | to read as follows: |
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| 65 | 65 | | (b) The coordinating board shall distribute a copy of the |
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| 66 | 66 | | rules adopted under this section and pertinent information relating |
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| 67 | 67 | | to this subchapter to each public or private institution of higher |
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| 68 | 68 | | education in this state that offers: |
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| 69 | 69 | | (1) an educator certification program, including an |
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| 70 | 70 | | alternative educator certification program or another equivalent |
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| 71 | 71 | | program; or |
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| 72 | 72 | | (2) an educational program that prepares students for |
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| 73 | 73 | | a school mental health profession. |
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| 74 | 74 | | SECTION 5. The change in law made by this Act to Section |
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| 75 | 75 | | 56.353, Education Code, applies only to a person who first |
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| 76 | 76 | | establishes eligibility for loan repayment assistance under |
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| 77 | 77 | | Subchapter O, Chapter 56, Education Code, as amended by this Act, on |
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| 78 | 78 | | the basis of an application submitted on or after September 1, 2023. |
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| 79 | 79 | | A person who first establishes eligibility on the basis of an |
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| 80 | 80 | | application submitted before September 1, 2023, is governed by the |
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| 81 | 81 | | law in effect on the date the application was submitted, and the |
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| 82 | 82 | | former law is continued in effect for that purpose. |
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| 83 | 83 | | SECTION 6. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
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