| 1 | 1 | | 88R1975 MM-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: J. Johnson of Harris H.B. No. 334 |
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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 contracts to provide appropriate residential housing to |
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| 8 | 8 | | students in extended foster care who enroll at public institutions |
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| 9 | 9 | | of higher education. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter G, Chapter 263, Family Code, is |
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| 12 | 12 | | amended by adding Section 263.609 to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | Sec. 263.609. CONTRACTS WITH PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER |
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| 14 | 14 | | EDUCATION TO PROVIDE RESIDENTIAL HOUSING. (a) In this section, |
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| 15 | 15 | | "institution of higher education" has the meaning assigned by |
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| 16 | 16 | | Section 61.003, Education Code. |
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| 17 | 17 | | (b) The department and each institution of higher education |
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| 18 | 18 | | that provides residential housing to students enrolled at the |
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| 19 | 19 | | institution shall enter into a contract under which, for students |
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| 20 | 20 | | of the institution residing in that residential housing who are in |
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| 21 | 21 | | extended foster care, the institution agrees to serve as a |
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| 22 | 22 | | child-care institution, as defined by 42 U.S.C. Section 672(c), for |
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| 23 | 23 | | the purpose of providing housing in which those students are able to |
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| 24 | 24 | | live independently in a supervised setting in accordance with rules |
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| 25 | 25 | | adopted by the department pursuant to the Fostering Connections to |
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| 26 | 26 | | Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 (Pub. L. No. 110-351). |
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| 27 | 27 | | SECTION 2. The Department of Family and Protective Services |
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| 28 | 28 | | shall enter into a contract with each public institution of higher |
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| 29 | 29 | | education subject to Section 263.609, Family Code, as added by this |
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| 30 | 30 | | Act, as soon as practicable after the effective date of this Act, |
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| 31 | 31 | | but not later than the 2024-2025 academic year. |
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| 32 | 32 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 33 | 33 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 34 | 34 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 35 | 35 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 36 | 36 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
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