Texas 2023 - 88th Regular

Texas House Bill HB74 Compare Versions

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1	1	By: Bernal H.B. No. 74
2	2
3	3
4	4	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
5	5	AN ACT
6	6	relating to the establishment of the Texas Teacher Recruitment
7	7	Scholarship Program and the Texas Teacher Retention Incentive
8	8	Program.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding
11	11	Subchapter QQ to read as follows:
12	12	SUBCHAPTER QQ. TEXAS TEACHER RECRUITMENT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
13	13	Sec. 61.9970. SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM; SCHOLARSHIP AMOUNT. (a)
14	14	The board shall establish and administer, in accordance with this
15	15	subchapter and board rules, the Texas Teacher Recruitment
16	16	Scholarship Program under which the board provides an annual
17	17	conditional scholarship to a student who meets the eligibility
18	18	criteria prescribed by Section 61.9972 and is nominated to receive
19	19	a scholarship.
20	20	(b) The amount of a scholarship under this subchapter is the
21	21	lesser of:
22	22	(1) $40,000 to be disbursed at a rate of $10,000 per
23	23	academic year for four academic years; or
24	24	(2) the amount equivalent to tuition and fees for an
25	25	academic year for four academic years.
26	26	(c) If a student nominated to receive a scholarship under
27	27	this subchapter is awarded a baccalaureate degree prior to
28	28	receiving the scholarship in its entirety, any remaining
29	29	scholarship shall be used to repay any outstanding student loans.
30	30	Sec. 61.9971. REPAYMENT ASSISTANCE AUTHORIZED. The board
31	31	shall provide in accordance with this subchapter and board rules,
32	32	assistance in the repayment of student loans for certified teachers
33	33	who are entitled to assistance under Section 61.9970(c).
34	34	Sec. 61.9972. ELIGIBILITY; NOMINATION AND SELECTION. (a)
35	35	To receive an initial scholarship under this subchapter, a student
36	36	must:
37	37	(1) be enrolled in a public or private institution of
38	38	higher education in this state;
39	39	(2) enroll in a university sponsored teacher
40	40	preparation program;
41	41	(3) be nominated to receive a scholarship by the
42	42	university in which the student is enrolled; and
43	43	(4) enter into an agreement with the board under
44	44	Section 61.9973.
45	45	(b) In each year, the number of new students awarded a
46	46	scholarship shall not exceed 2 percent of the current teacher
47	47	workforce as reported by the Texas Education Agency.
48	48	(c) For a student to continue to receive a scholarship
49	49	awarded under this subchapter, the student must maintain
50	50	satisfactory academic progress as determined by the institution in
51	51	which the student is enrolled.
52	52	Sec. 61.9973. AGREEMENT REQUIREMENTS. (a) To receive a
53	53	scholarship under this subchapter, a student must enter into an
54	54	agreement with the board as provided by this section. The agreement
55	55	must require the student to:
56	56	(1) complete a university sponsored teacher
57	57	preparation program;
58	58	(2) satisfactorily complete the requirements
59	59	necessary to obtain a teacher certification;
60	60	(3) graduate not later than five years after the date
61	61	the student first enrolls in a public or private institution of
62	62	higher education in this state;
63	63	(4) after graduation, enter into a contract with a
64	64	school district or open-enrollment charter school to serve as a
65	65	teacher for four years; and
66	66	(5) agree to repay the scholarship if the student:
67	67	(A) fails to maintain satisfactory academic
68	68	progress;
69	69	(B) withdraws from the scholarship program; or
70	70	(C) fails to fulfill a commitment described by
71	71	Subdivision (4).
72	72	(b) The board shall adopt rules to exempt a student from the
73	73	repayment of a scholarship under an agreement entered into under
74	74	this section if the student is unable to meet the obligations of the
75	75	agreement as a result of extraordinary circumstances.
76	76	Sec. 61.9974. RULES. (a) The board shall adopt rules as
77	77	necessary for the administration of this subchapter, including
78	78	rules regarding the eligibility criteria and the selection of
79	79	scholarship recipients.
80	80	Sec. 61.9975. LIMITATION ON SCHOLARSHIP. A person may not
81	81	receive a scholarship under this subchapter after earning a
82	82	cumulative total of 150 credit hours or after being awarded a
83	83	baccalaureate degree, whichever occurs first.
84	84	Sec. 61.9976. FUNDING. The board shall administer this
85	85	subchapter using available appropriations and gifts, grants, and
86	86	donations made for the purposes of this subchapter.
87	87	SECTION 2. Chapter 21, Education Code, is amended by adding
88	88	Subchapter R to read as follows:
89	89	SUBCHAPTER R. TEXAS TEACHER RETENTION INCENTIVE PROGRAM
90	90	Sec. 21.901. INITIAL ELIGIBILITY. A person is eligible for
91	91	this program if they are currently:
92	92	(1) a certified teacher employed by a school district
93	93	or open-enrollment charter school; and
94	94	(2) not eligible for designation under Section 48.112.
95	95	Sec. 21.902. CONTINUING ELIGIBILITY. After initially
96	96	qualifying for the incentive program under Section 21.901, a person
97	97	may continue to receive the award in subsequent years if:
98	98	(1) the individual is employed by the same school
99	99	district or open-enrollment charter school in which they were
100	100	nominated initially to receive the incentive;
101	101	(2) the individual continues to hold a teacher
102	102	certification in good standing with the Texas Education Agency; and
103	103	(3) the individual is not eligible for designation
104	104	under Section 48.112.
105	105	Sec. 21.903. AWARD. An eligible person is entitled to
106	106	receive an annual retention incentive of $10,000 for a period of
107	107	four years.
108	108	Sec. 21.904. NOMINATION. (a) A school district or
109	109	open-enrollment charter school shall determine which individuals
110	110	are eligible for nomination.
111	111	(b) an individual may not be nominated if:
112	112	(1) they have already been nominated at their current
113	113	or prior school district or open-enrollment charter school and the
114	114	current school district or open-enrollment charter school has
115	115	eligible individuals, under Section 21.901, who have not been
116	116	nominated; or
117	117	(2) they have received a scholarship under Chapter 61,
118	118	Subchapter QQ, and their current school district or open-enrollment
119	119	charter school has eligible individuals, under Section 21.901, who
120	120	have not been nominated.
121	121	(c) A school district or open-enrollment charter school
122	122	must nominate annually a number of teachers to receive the award
123	123	equal to 8 percent of the teacher workforce as reported by the Texas
124	124	Education Agency.
125	125	Sec. 21.905. AGREEMENT REQUIREMENTS. (a) To receive an
126	126	incentive under this subchapter, a teacher must enter into an
127	127	agreement with the agency as provided by this section. The
128	128	agreement must require the teacher to:
129	129	(1) be continuously employed by the same school
130	130	district or open-enrollment charter school for four years;
131	131	(2) hold a teacher certification in good standing with
132	132	the Texas Education Agency; and
133	133	(3) not receive a designation under Section 48.112;
134	134	(4) agree to repay the incentive if the teacher:
135	135	(A) withdraws from the scholarship program; or
136	136	(B) fails to fulfill a commitment described by
137	137	Subdivisions (1) and (2).
138	138	(b) The agency shall adopt rules to exempt a teacher from
139	139	the repayment of an incentive under an agreement entered into under
140	140	this section if the teacher is unable to meet the obligations of the
141	141	agreement as a result of extraordinary circumstances.
142	142	Sec. 21.906. FUNDING. The agency shall administer this
143	143	subchapter using available appropriations and gifts, grants, and
144	144	donations made for the purposes of this subchapter.
145	145	SECTION 3. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
146	146	shall award scholarships under Subchapter QQ, Chapter 61, Education
147	147	Code, as added by this Act, beginning with the 2023-2024 academic
148	148	year. The coordinating board shall adopt the rules required by that
149	149	subchapter as soon as practicable after this Act takes effect.
150	150	SECTION 4. The Texas Education Agency shall award
151	151	incentives under Subchapter R, Chapter 21, Education Code, as added
152	152	by this Act, beginning with the 2023-2024 academic year. The agency
153	153	shall adopt the rules required by that subchapter as soon as
154	154	practicable after this Act takes effect.
155	155	SECTION 5. This Act does not make an appropriation. A
156	156	provision in this Act that creates a new governmental program,
157	157	creates a new entitlement, or imposes a new duty on a governmental
158	158	entity is not mandatory during a fiscal period for which the
159	159	legislature has not made a specific appropriation to implement the
160	160	provision.
161	161	SECTION 6. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
162	162	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
163	163	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
164	164	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
165	165	Act takes effect September 1, 2023.