| 1 | 1 | | 88R4022 CXP-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: LaMantia S.B. No. 2240 |
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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 establishing a digital textbook and learning materials |
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| 8 | 8 | | subscription pilot program. |
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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 C, Chapter 61, Education Code, is |
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| 11 | 11 | | amended by adding Section 61.0667 to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | Sec. 61.0667. DIGITAL TEXTBOOK AND LEARNING MATERIALS |
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| 13 | 13 | | SUBSCRIPTION PILOT PROGRAM. (a) In this section: |
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| 14 | 14 | | (1) "Digital textbook and learning materials |
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| 15 | 15 | | subscription program" means a subscription program to a platform |
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| 16 | 16 | | that includes unrestricted access to digital textbooks, study |
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| 17 | 17 | | tools, online homework platforms, and other educational resources |
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| 18 | 18 | | used to improve student outcomes. |
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| 19 | 19 | | (2) "Lower-division institution of higher education" |
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| 20 | 20 | | means a public junior college, public state college, or public |
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| 21 | 21 | | technical institute. |
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| 22 | 22 | | (b) The board shall establish a pilot program under which |
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| 23 | 23 | | the board awards grants to participating lower-division |
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| 24 | 24 | | institutions of higher education to provide financial assistance to |
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| 25 | 25 | | eligible students for the cost of subscribing to the digital |
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| 26 | 26 | | textbook and learning materials subscription program selected by |
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| 27 | 27 | | the board under Subsection (e). |
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| 28 | 28 | | (c) The board shall select lower-division institutions of |
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| 29 | 29 | | higher education to participate in the pilot program. In selecting |
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| 30 | 30 | | institutions, the board shall, to the extent possible: |
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| 31 | 31 | | (1) select institutions in both rural and urban areas |
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| 32 | 32 | | of this state; and |
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| 33 | 33 | | (2) prioritize institutions with large socially and |
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| 34 | 34 | | economically disadvantaged and historically underrepresented |
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| 35 | 35 | | student populations. |
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| 36 | 36 | | (d) A participating lower-division institution of higher |
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| 37 | 37 | | education must use grant funds awarded under this section to |
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| 38 | 38 | | provide financial assistance to eligible students for all or part |
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| 39 | 39 | | of the cost of subscribing to the digital textbook and learning |
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| 40 | 40 | | materials subscription program selected by the board under |
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| 41 | 41 | | Subsection (e). The participating institution shall determine the |
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| 42 | 42 | | eligibility criteria for a student to receive financial assistance |
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| 43 | 43 | | under the pilot program and must prioritize providing financial |
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| 44 | 44 | | assistance to economically disadvantaged students. |
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| 45 | 45 | | (e) The board shall engage in a competitive bidding process |
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| 46 | 46 | | to select the digital textbook and learning materials subscription |
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| 47 | 47 | | to be used in the pilot program. The subscription selected by the |
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| 48 | 48 | | board must provide 24-hour technical support services to |
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| 49 | 49 | | subscribers. |
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| 50 | 50 | | (f) Not later than September 1, 2026, the board shall |
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| 51 | 51 | | prepare and deliver to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the |
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| 52 | 52 | | speaker of the house of representatives, and the presiding officer |
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| 53 | 53 | | of each legislative standing committee with primary jurisdiction |
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| 54 | 54 | | over higher education a report that evaluates the effectiveness of |
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| 55 | 55 | | the pilot program in improving student outcomes. The report must |
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| 56 | 56 | | include a recommendation regarding whether the pilot program should |
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| 57 | 57 | | be continued, expanded, or terminated. |
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| 58 | 58 | | (g) This section expires September 1, 2027. |
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| 59 | 59 | | SECTION 2. (a) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating |
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| 60 | 60 | | Board shall adopt rules to administer the pilot program established |
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| 61 | 61 | | under Section 61.0667, Education Code, as added by this Act, as soon |
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| 62 | 62 | | as practicable after the effective date of this Act. |
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| 63 | 63 | | (b) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and |
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| 64 | 64 | | participating lower-division institutions of higher education |
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| 65 | 65 | | shall award initial grants under Section 61.0667, Education Code, |
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| 66 | 66 | | as added by this Act, beginning with the 2024 spring semester. |
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| 67 | 67 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 68 | 68 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 69 | 69 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 70 | 70 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 71 | 71 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
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