| 1 | 1 | | 88R6356 KJE-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Campbell S.B. No. 960 |
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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 state savings and government efficiency achieved |
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| 8 | 8 | | through a taxpayer savings grant program administered by the |
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| 9 | 9 | | comptroller of public accounts. |
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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 48.266, Education Code, is amended by |
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| 12 | 12 | | adding Subsection (b-1) to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | (b-1) Notwithstanding Subsection (b), the commissioner |
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| 14 | 14 | | shall adjust enrollment estimates and entitlement for each school |
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| 15 | 15 | | district for each school year based on information provided by the |
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| 16 | 16 | | comptroller under Section 48.351(f). This subsection expires |
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| 17 | 17 | | September 1, 2028. |
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| 18 | 18 | | SECTION 2. Chapter 48, Education Code, is amended by adding |
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| 19 | 19 | | Subchapter H to read as follows: |
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| 20 | 20 | | SUBCHAPTER H. TAXPAYER SAVINGS GRANTS |
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| 21 | 21 | | Sec. 48.351. TAXPAYER SAVINGS GRANT PROGRAM. (a) In this |
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| 22 | 22 | | section: |
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| 23 | 23 | | (1) "Eligible student" means a school-age child who |
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| 24 | 24 | | resides in the state and who: |
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| 25 | 25 | | (A) is entering kindergarten or first grade; |
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| 26 | 26 | | (B) attended a public school for the entire |
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| 27 | 27 | | school year immediately preceding initial participation in the |
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| 28 | 28 | | Taxpayer Savings Grant Program; or |
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| 29 | 29 | | (C) participated in the program in a preceding |
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| 30 | 30 | | school year. |
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| 31 | 31 | | (2) "Private school" means a school that: |
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| 32 | 32 | | (A) offers a course of instruction for elementary |
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| 33 | 33 | | or secondary students; |
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| 34 | 34 | | (B) is not operated by a governmental entity; and |
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| 35 | 35 | | (C) is not a home school. |
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| 36 | 36 | | (b) A parent or legal guardian of an eligible student may |
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| 37 | 37 | | receive reimbursement from the state for the tuition paid for the |
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| 38 | 38 | | enrollment of the eligible student at a private school in an amount |
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| 39 | 39 | | that is the lesser of: |
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| 40 | 40 | | (1) the tuition paid; or |
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| 41 | 41 | | (2) 60 percent of the amount of state funding per |
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| 42 | 42 | | student provided under Section 12.106. |
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| 43 | 43 | | (c) Money from the available school fund and federal funds |
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| 44 | 44 | | may not be used for reimbursement under this section. |
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| 45 | 45 | | (d) A private school voluntarily selected by a parent for |
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| 46 | 46 | | the parent's child to attend, with or without governmental |
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| 47 | 47 | | assistance, may not be required to comply with any state law or rule |
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| 48 | 48 | | governing the school's educational program that was not in effect |
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| 49 | 49 | | on January 1, 2023. |
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| 50 | 50 | | (e) The comptroller shall administer the program and |
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| 51 | 51 | | provide reimbursement to a parent or legal guardian of an eligible |
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| 52 | 52 | | student as authorized by this section. |
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| 53 | 53 | | (f) Not later than October 1 of each year, the comptroller |
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| 54 | 54 | | shall notify the commissioner and the Legislative Budget Board of |
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| 55 | 55 | | the number of eligible students likely to participate in the |
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| 56 | 56 | | program, disaggregated by the school district or open-enrollment |
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| 57 | 57 | | charter school the eligible students would otherwise attend. Not |
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| 58 | 58 | | later than March 1 of each year, the comptroller shall provide final |
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| 59 | 59 | | information to the commissioner and the Legislative Budget Board |
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| 60 | 60 | | regarding the number of students participating in the program, |
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| 61 | 61 | | disaggregated in the same manner as the initial information. |
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| 62 | 62 | | SECTION 3. As soon as practicable, but not later than |
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| 63 | 63 | | October 15, 2023, the comptroller, in coordination with the |
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| 64 | 64 | | commissioner of education, shall adopt rules to implement the |
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| 65 | 65 | | Taxpayer Savings Grant Program under Section 48.351, Education |
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| 66 | 66 | | Code, as added by this Act, including rules to prevent fraud in |
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| 67 | 67 | | financial transactions under the program and to determine the net |
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| 68 | 68 | | savings resulting from implementation of the program. The rules |
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| 69 | 69 | | must require reconciliation of payments for all grants within the |
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| 70 | 70 | | same fiscal year or within the first month following the end of the |
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| 71 | 71 | | fiscal year. |
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| 72 | 72 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
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