| 1 | 1 | | By: West, Blanco, Zaffirini S.B. No. 902 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 5 | 5 | | AN ACT |
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| 6 | 6 | | relating to the establishment of the Texas Leadership Scholars |
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| 7 | 7 | | Program. |
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| 8 | 8 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 9 | 9 | | SECTION 1. Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding |
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| 10 | 10 | | Subchapter T-3 to read as follows: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SUBCHAPTER T-3. TEXAS LEADERSHIP SCHOLARS PROGRAM |
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| 12 | 12 | | Sec. 61.891. DEFINITION. In this subchapter, "program" |
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| 13 | 13 | | means the Texas Leadership Scholars Program established under this |
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| 14 | 14 | | subchapter. |
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| 15 | 15 | | Sec. 61.892. ESTABLISHMENT; ADMINISTRATION. (a) The Texas |
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| 16 | 16 | | Leadership Scholars Program is established to serve as a |
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| 17 | 17 | | merit-based scholarship and leadership opportunity program for |
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| 18 | 18 | | high-achieving, emerging leaders with financial need. |
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| 19 | 19 | | (b) The board shall administer the program. |
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| 20 | 20 | | (c) Using money appropriated or otherwise available for the |
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| 21 | 21 | | purpose, the board shall award scholarships and provide academic |
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| 22 | 22 | | achievement support and leadership development to eligible |
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| 23 | 23 | | students under the program. |
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| 24 | 24 | | Sec. 61.893. INITIAL ELIGIBILITY. To be initially eligible |
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| 25 | 25 | | to participate in the program, a student must: |
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| 26 | 26 | | (1) have graduated from a public high school in this |
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| 27 | 27 | | state; |
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| 28 | 28 | | (2) either: |
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| 29 | 29 | | (A) have qualified for automatic admission to a |
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| 30 | 30 | | general academic teaching institution under Section 51.803; or |
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| 31 | 31 | | (B) be nominated by the student's high school for |
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| 32 | 32 | | participation in the program and hold another academic distinction |
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| 33 | 33 | | recognized by the board; |
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| 34 | 34 | | (3) be enrolled in a baccalaureate degree program at a |
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| 35 | 35 | | general academic teaching institution; |
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| 36 | 36 | | (4) be economically disadvantaged, as determined by |
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| 37 | 37 | | board rule; and |
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| 38 | 38 | | (5) comply with any additional requirement adopted by |
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| 39 | 39 | | the board. |
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| 40 | 40 | | Sec. 61.894. CONTINUING ELIGIBILITY. After establishing |
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| 41 | 41 | | initial eligibility to participate in the program under Section |
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| 42 | 42 | | 61.893, a student may continue participating in the program only if |
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| 43 | 43 | | the student: |
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| 44 | 44 | | (1) is enrolled in a baccalaureate degree program at a |
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| 45 | 45 | | general academic teaching institution; |
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| 46 | 46 | | (2) maintains a minimum overall grade point average |
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| 47 | 47 | | determined by board rule; and |
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| 48 | 48 | | (3) complies with any additional requirement adopted |
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| 49 | 49 | | by the board. |
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| 50 | 50 | | Sec. 61.895. ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT SUPPORT AND LEADERSHIP |
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| 51 | 51 | | DEVELOPMENT. The board may enter into agreements with general |
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| 52 | 52 | | academic teaching institutions or other institutions of higher |
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| 53 | 53 | | education to provide students participating in the program with: |
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| 54 | 54 | | (1) research-based support to make satisfactory |
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| 55 | 55 | | academic progress and graduate on time; and |
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| 56 | 56 | | (2) leadership development opportunities, including: |
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| 57 | 57 | | (A) program cohort learning communities; |
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| 58 | 58 | | (B) mentoring, research, and internship |
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| 59 | 59 | | opportunities; |
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| 60 | 60 | | (C) networking with state government, business, |
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| 61 | 61 | | and civic leaders; and |
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| 62 | 62 | | (D) statewide cohort learning institutes or |
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| 63 | 63 | | seminars. |
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| 64 | 64 | | Sec. 61.896. GRANTS, GIFTS, AND DONATIONS. The board may |
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| 65 | 65 | | solicit, accept, and spend grants, gifts, and donations from any |
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| 66 | 66 | | public or private source for the purposes of the program. |
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| 67 | 67 | | Sec. 61.897. RULES. The board shall adopt rules for the |
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| 68 | 68 | | administration of the program, including rules providing for the |
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| 69 | 69 | | amount and permissible uses of a scholarship awarded under the |
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| 70 | 70 | | program. |
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| 71 | 71 | | SECTION 2. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board |
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| 72 | 72 | | shall adopt rules to administer Subchapter T-3, Chapter 61, |
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| 73 | 73 | | Education Code, as added by this Act, as soon as practicable after |
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| 74 | 74 | | the effective date of this Act. |
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| 75 | 75 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 76 | 76 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 77 | 77 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 78 | 78 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 79 | 79 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
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