| 1 | 1 | | 88R13292 JTZ-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Creighton S.B. No. 2137 |
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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 | | offer an undergraduate course in financial literacy and soft |
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| 9 | 9 | | skills. |
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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. Section 51.305, Education Code, is amended to |
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| 12 | 12 | | read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | Sec. 51.305. PERSONAL FINANCIAL LITERACY AND SOFT SKILLS |
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| 14 | 14 | | [TRAINING]. (a) In this section: |
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| 15 | 15 | | (1) "Coordinating board" means the Texas Higher |
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| 16 | 16 | | Education Coordinating Board. |
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| 17 | 17 | | (2) "Institution of higher education" ["General |
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| 18 | 18 | | academic teaching institution"] has the meaning assigned by Section |
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| 19 | 19 | | 61.003. |
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| 20 | 20 | | (b) Each institution of higher education [The coordinating |
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| 21 | 21 | | board by rule] shall offer an undergraduate elective course of |
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| 22 | 22 | | three semester credit hours or the equivalent [: (1) require a |
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| 23 | 23 | | general academic teaching institution to offer training] in |
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| 24 | 24 | | personal financial literacy and soft skills. The course must be |
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| 25 | 25 | | offered for credit toward satisfaction of a student's core |
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| 26 | 26 | | curriculum requirement in social and behavioral sciences. |
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| 27 | 27 | | (c) The personal financial literacy content provided under |
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| 28 | 28 | | the course: |
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| 29 | 29 | | (1) must include instruction in [to provide students |
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| 30 | 30 | | of the institution with] the knowledge and skills necessary as a |
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| 31 | 31 | | self-supporting adult [adults] to make critical decisions relating |
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| 32 | 32 | | to personal financial matters; and |
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| 33 | 33 | | (2) [determine the topics to be covered by the |
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| 34 | 34 | | training, which] may include instruction in budgeting, credit |
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| 35 | 35 | | cards, spending, saving, loan repayment and consolidation, taxes, |
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| 36 | 36 | | retirement planning, insurance, and financing of health care and |
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| 37 | 37 | | other benefits. |
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| 38 | 38 | | (d) The soft skills content provided under the course must |
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| 39 | 39 | | include instruction in: |
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| 40 | 40 | | (1) workplace ethics and etiquette; |
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| 41 | 41 | | (2) effective communication; |
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| 42 | 42 | | (3) leadership; |
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| 43 | 43 | | (4) organizational skills; |
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| 44 | 44 | | (5) time management; |
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| 45 | 45 | | (6) problem solving; |
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| 46 | 46 | | (7) critical thinking; and |
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| 47 | 47 | | (8) persistence. |
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| 48 | 48 | | (e) [(c)] The coordinating board [by rule] may adopt rules |
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| 49 | 49 | | for the administration of [provide for the training required under] |
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| 50 | 50 | | this section [to be offered in an online course]. |
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| 51 | 51 | | SECTION 2. Section 51.305, Education Code, as amended by |
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| 52 | 52 | | this Act, applies beginning with the 2024 fall semester. |
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| 53 | 53 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 54 | 54 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 55 | 55 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 56 | 56 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 57 | 57 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
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