Texas 2023 - 88th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB2068 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

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1	1	88R7944 JTZ-F
2	2	By: Bettencourt S.B. No. 2068
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the information maintained by the Texas Education
8	8	Agency regarding postsecondary education and career opportunities.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. Section 7.040, Education Code, is amended by
11	11	amending Subsections (a) and (c) and adding Subsection (a-1) to
12	12	read as follows:
13	13	(a) The agency shall prepare information comparing
14	14	institutions of higher education in this state and post the
15	15	information on the agency's Internet website. Information prepared
16	16	under this section shall be given to any [a] public or private
17	17	school student who requests the information. The information
18	18	shall:
19	19	(1) identify postsecondary education and career
20	20	opportunities, including information that states the benefits of
21	21	four-year and two-year higher education programs, postsecondary
22	22	technical education, skilled workforce careers, and career
23	23	education programs;
24	24	(2) assist prospective postsecondary students in
25	25	assessing the value of a certificate program, associate or
26	26	baccalaureate degree program, or other credential program offered
27	27	by an institution of higher education by comparing [compare] each
28	28	institution [of higher education] with other institutions
29	29	regarding:
30	30	(A) the relative cost of obtaining the
31	31	certificate, degree, or other credential, including:
32	32	(i) the total cost of attendance, based on
33	33	the most recent data released through the United States Department
34	34	of Education's College Scorecard online tool or a successor tool;
35	35	(ii) the total cost of tuition and fees;
36	36	(iii) the median cost of room and board;
37	37	(iv) the median student debt of students
38	38	who graduated with the certificate, degree, or other credential
39	39	from the institution as compared to the median student debt of all
40	40	students who graduated with the certificate, degree, or other
41	41	credential, based on the most recent data released through the
42	42	United States Department of Education's College Scorecard online
43	43	tool or a successor tool;
44	44	(v) the estimated monthly student loan
45	45	payment, computed using the standard 10-year repayment plan; and
46	46	(vi) the percentage of students who fully
47	47	repay student debt within the standard 10-year repayment period or,
48	48	if this information is not available for the program, the
49	49	percentage of students in all certificate programs, degree
50	50	programs, or other credential programs who fully repay student debt
51	51	within the standard 10-year repayment period [tuition];
52	52	(B) educational outcomes for [the retention rate
53	53	of] students seeking the certificate, degree, or other credential,
54	54	including:
55	55	(i) the percentage of students who continue
56	56	in the program after the first year of study;
57	57	(ii) the graduation rate; and
58	58	(iii) the percentage of graduates employed
59	59	in a field related to the certificate program, degree program, or
60	60	other credential program within one year of graduation; and
61	61	(C) the median earnings of graduates, expressed
62	62	as a yearly amount and as a percentage of median student debt, based
63	63	on the most recent data released through the United States
64	64	Department of Education's College Scorecard online tool or a
65	65	successor tool [the graduation rate of students];
66	66	[(D) the average student debt;
67	67	[(E) the loan repayment rate of students; and
68	68	[(F) the employment rate of students;]
69	69	(3) identify the state's future workforce needs, as
70	70	projected by the Texas Workforce Commission; and
71	71	(4) include annual wage information for the top 10
72	72	highest demand jobs in this state, as identified by the Texas
73	73	Workforce Commission.
74	74	(a-1) The information required under Subsections
75	75	(a)(2)(A)(i), (iv), and (vi) and (a)(2)(C) must be updated each
76	76	time new data described by that provision is released through the
77	77	United States Department of Education's College Scorecard online
78	78	tool or a successor tool.
79	79	(c) Each institution of higher education shall:
80	80	(1) include on its Internet website, in a prominent
81	81	location that is not more than three hyperlinks from the website's
82	82	home page, a link to the information posted on the agency's Internet
83	83	website under Subsection (a); and
84	84	(2) disclose to a student on the student's enrollment
85	85	in or transfer to a certificate program, associate or baccalaureate
86	86	degree program, or other credential program at the institution the
87	87	information posted on the agency's Internet website under
88	88	Subsection (a) relating to the program.
89	89	SECTION 2. Section 2308A.007, Government Code, is amended
90	90	by adding Subsection (a-1) to read as follows:
91	91	(a-1) A credential library established under this section
92	92	must include the information described by Section 7.040(a),
93	93	Education Code.
94	94	SECTION 3. (a) As soon as practicable after the effective
95	95	date of this Act, the Texas Education Agency shall update the
96	96	information required under Section 7.040(a), Education Code, as
97	97	amended by this Act.
98	98	(b) As soon as practicable after the Texas Education Agency
99	99	completes the update required by Subsection (a) of this section,
100	100	the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall update the
101	101	comparative gainful employment data regarding public institutions
102	102	of higher education required to be maintained by the board under
103	103	Sections 51.762(b-1) and 51.763(b), Education Code, to include the
104	104	information required under Section 7.040(a), Education Code, as
105	105	amended by this Act.
106	106	(c) As soon as practicable after the Texas Education Agency
107	107	completes the update required by Subsection (a) of this section,
108	108	the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Texas
109	109	Workforce Commission shall jointly update the credential library
110	110	established under Section 2308A.007, Government Code, to include
111	111	the information required under Section 7.040(a), Education Code, as
112	112	amended by this Act.
113	113	SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
114	114	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
115	115	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
116	116	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
117	117	Act takes effect September 1, 2023.