Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HB2081 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		89R2328 JTZ-F
2		-	By: Bucy, Kitzman, Howard, Bonnen, Ashby, H.B. No. 2081
3		-	et al.
	2	+	By: Bucy, et al. H.B. No. 2081
4	3
5	4
6	5
7	6
8	7		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
9	8		AN ACT
10	9		relating to the establishment of the Building Better Futures
11	10		Program to support educational and occupational skills training
12	11		opportunities and support services for students with intellectual
13	12		and developmental disabilities at public and private institutions
14	13		of higher education.
15	14		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
16	15		SECTION 1. Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding
17	16		Subchapter J-2 to read as follows:
18	17		SUBCHAPTER J-2. BUILDING BETTER FUTURES PROGRAM
19	18		Sec. 61.571. PROGRAM PURPOSE. The purpose of the Building
20	19		Better Futures Program is to facilitate the delivery by
21	20		institutions of higher education and private or independent
22	21		institutions of higher education of educational and occupational
23	22		skills training opportunities and support services to students with
24	23		intellectual and developmental disabilities in an inclusive and
25	24		age-appropriate environment.
26	25		Sec. 61.572. ADMINISTRATION; RULES. (a) The board shall
27	26		administer the Building Better Futures Program and adopt any rules
28	27		necessary to implement the program or this subchapter.
29	28		(b) The board may develop a competitive application process
30	29		for the award of funds to eligible institutions under the program.
31	30		(c) A program or course offered under the Building Better
32	31		Futures Program is exempt from the requirements of Sections 61.0512
33	32		and 61.822.
34	33		Sec. 61.573. INSTITUTION ELIGIBILITY. (a) To be eligible
35	34		to participate in the Building Better Futures Program, an
36	35		institution of higher education or private or independent
37	36		institution of higher education must:
38	37		(1) be approved by or awaiting approval from the
39	38		United States Department of Education to offer a comprehensive
40	39		transition and postsecondary program for students with
41	40		intellectual or developmental disabilities;
42	41		(2) develop and implement a selective admissions
43	42		process to select eligible students under Section 61.574 for
44	43		admission to the institution's comprehensive transition and
45	44		postsecondary program; and
46	45		(3) award a certificate to each student who
47	46		successfully completes the Building Better Futures Program at the
48	47		institution.
49	48		(b) The board shall establish criteria to ensure that each
50	49		eligible institution that has requested but not yet received
51	50		approval from the United States Department of Education for the
52	51		institution's comprehensive transition and postsecondary program
53	52		obtains that approval not later than the third anniversary of the
54	53		date the institution is initially selected by the board for
55	54		participation in the Building Better Futures Program.
56	55		Sec. 61.574. STUDENT ELIGIBILITY. (a) To be eligible to
57	56		participate in the Building Better Futures Program, an applicant
58	57		must:
59	58		(1) apply for admission to a comprehensive transition
60	59		and postsecondary program, or a program that is awaiting approval
61	60		from the United States Department of Education as a comprehensive
62	61		transition and postsecondary program, at an eligible institution;
63	62		(2) be a citizen or a lawful permanent resident of the
64	63		United States;
65	64		(3) subject to Subsection (d), be a resident of this
66	65		state as determined under Section 54.052;
67	66		(4) have an intellectual or developmental disability
68	67		diagnosed by a physician, psychologist, or other individual
69	68		qualified by license or statute to make the diagnosis;
70	69		(5) be able and willing to learn and participate in an
71	70		inclusive classroom and work setting; and
72	71		(6) not be a danger to the applicant's self or others,
73	72		as determined by the accepting institution.
74	73		(b) An applicant who is a lawful permanent resident of the
75	74		United States must submit with the applicant's application a copy
76	75		of the applicant's lawful permanent resident form.
77	76		(c) An eligible institution may require an applicant or the
78	77		applicant's parent or guardian to provide proof of residency as
79	78		follows:
80	79		(1) information from the Free Application for Federal
81	80		Student Aid;
82	81		(2) a current driver's license issued by the
83	82		Department of Public Safety;
84	83		(3) documentation of payment of personal or real
85	84		property taxes for the previous year;
86	85		(4) current vehicle registration issued by the Texas
87	86		Department of Motor Vehicles;
88	87		(5) a current voter registration certificate issued by
89	88		a voter registrar of a county in this state; or
90	89		(6) documentation described by Section 54.053.
91	90		(d) An applicant who is not a resident of this state may
92	91		participate in the Building Better Futures Program at an eligible
93	92		institution only if the applicant is otherwise eligible under this
94	93		section and the institution has an opening available in the program
95	94		after all other eligible applicants are admitted.
96	95		Sec. 61.575. TRANSFERABILITY. Semester credit hours or the
97	96		equivalent completed through the Building Better Futures Program
98	97		may not be transferred to an associate or baccalaureate degree
99	98		program.
100	99		Sec. 61.576. AWARD OF MONEY. The board may award money
101	100		under the Building Better Futures Program only to eligible
102	101		institutions to be used by the institutions to facilitate the
103	102		delivery of educational and occupational skills training
104	103		opportunities and support services to students participating in the
105	104		program.
106	105		Sec. 61.577. FUNDING. The board may use any available
107	106		revenue, including legislative appropriations, and may solicit and
108	107		accept gifts, grants, and donations from a public or private source
109	108		for the purposes of this subchapter.
110	109		SECTION 2. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
111	110		shall adopt rules to administer Subchapter J-2, Chapter 61,
112	111		Education Code, as added by this Act, as soon as practicable after
113	112		the effective date of this Act.
114	113		SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
115	114		a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
116	115		provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
117	116		Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
118	117		Act takes effect September 1, 2025.