| 1 | 1 | | 88R8390 CXP-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Shaheen H.B. No. 5126 |
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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 requiring public institutions of higher education to |
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| 8 | 8 | | publish certain online resources. |
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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 51, Education Code, is |
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| 11 | 11 | | amended by adding Section 51.9747 to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | Sec. 51.9747. ONLINE PUBLIC RESOURCES. (a) In this |
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| 13 | 13 | | section: |
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| 14 | 14 | | (1) "Institution of higher education" has the meaning |
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| 15 | 15 | | assigned by Section 61.003. |
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| 16 | 16 | | (2) "Training session" means a program, lecture, |
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| 17 | 17 | | presentation, or directed group activity planned or presented by an |
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| 18 | 18 | | institution of higher education for students, faculty, staff, or |
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| 19 | 19 | | the public, whether mandatory or voluntary, for the purpose of |
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| 20 | 20 | | coordinating behavior with certain standards or securing |
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| 21 | 21 | | compliance with a certain message or purpose. The term includes any |
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| 22 | 22 | | orientation program for new students, faculty, or staff and any |
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| 23 | 23 | | training regarding topics surrounding race, gender, sexual |
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| 24 | 24 | | identity, campus climate, or interpersonal relations. |
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| 25 | 25 | | (b) Each institution of higher education shall make |
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| 26 | 26 | | available to prospective students, parents of prospective |
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| 27 | 27 | | students, and other interested members of the public on the |
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| 28 | 28 | | institution's Internet website: |
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| 29 | 29 | | (1) a syllabus portal; |
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| 30 | 30 | | (2) an employment information directory; and |
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| 31 | 31 | | (3) a training sessions database. |
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| 32 | 32 | | (c) The information made available under Subsection (b) |
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| 33 | 33 | | must be: |
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| 34 | 34 | | (1) accessible from the institution's Internet website |
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| 35 | 35 | | home page by the use of not more than three website links; |
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| 36 | 36 | | (2) searchable by keywords and phrases; and |
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| 37 | 37 | | (3) accessible to the public without requiring |
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| 38 | 38 | | registration or use of a user name, password, or other form of user |
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| 39 | 39 | | identification. |
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| 40 | 40 | | (d) The syllabus portal must include a single database |
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| 41 | 41 | | containing the course syllabus for every classroom course offered |
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| 42 | 42 | | for credit by the institution. A syllabus included in the portal: |
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| 43 | 43 | | (1) must comply with the requirements under Section |
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| 44 | 44 | | 51.974(a)(1); and |
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| 45 | 45 | | (2) may exclude the time and location of class |
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| 46 | 46 | | meetings. |
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| 47 | 47 | | (e) The employment information directory must be updated at |
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| 48 | 48 | | least annually and include the following information for each |
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| 49 | 49 | | employee or officer of the institution: |
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| 50 | 50 | | (1) name; |
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| 51 | 51 | | (2) department; |
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| 52 | 52 | | (3) tenure status; |
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| 53 | 53 | | (4) job title; and |
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| 54 | 54 | | (5) general job description. |
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| 55 | 55 | | (f) The state auditor shall audit each institution of higher |
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| 56 | 56 | | education's employment information directory for compliance with |
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| 57 | 57 | | this section and any other relevant provisions of law at least once |
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| 58 | 58 | | every three years. This subsection does not affect the state |
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| 59 | 59 | | auditor's authority to conduct an audit in accordance with Chapter |
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| 60 | 60 | | 321, Government Code. |
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| 61 | 61 | | (g) The training sessions database must include a playable |
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| 62 | 62 | | video recording or written transcript record of every training |
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| 63 | 63 | | session the institution conducts for students, faculty, or staff. |
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| 64 | 64 | | The recording or transcript must include the entirety of the |
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| 65 | 65 | | training session, including any question and answer session, but |
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| 66 | 66 | | may not include any personally identifying information of a |
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| 67 | 67 | | student, faculty member, or staff member who participated in the |
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| 68 | 68 | | training session but was not involved with the planning, |
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| 69 | 69 | | coordination, or presentation of the training session. |
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| 70 | 70 | | (h) The governing board of each institution of higher |
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| 71 | 71 | | education shall designate an administrator to be responsible for |
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| 72 | 72 | | ensuring compliance with this section. The administrator may |
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| 73 | 73 | | assign duties under this section to one or more administrative |
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| 74 | 74 | | employees. |
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| 75 | 75 | | (i) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board may adopt |
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| 76 | 76 | | rules necessary to implement this section. |
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| 77 | 77 | | SECTION 2. As soon as practicable after the effective date |
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| 78 | 78 | | of this Act, each public institution of higher education shall |
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| 79 | 79 | | comply with Section 51.9747, Education Code, as added by this Act. |
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| 80 | 80 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 81 | 81 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 82 | 82 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 83 | 83 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 84 | 84 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
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