Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB153 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R1052 JTZ-D
2	2	By: Menéndez S.B. No. 153
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to establishing a social work recruitment and retention
10	10	program administered by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating
11	11	Board.
12	12	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
13	13	SECTION 1. Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding
14	14	Subchapter LL to read as follows:
15	15	SUBCHAPTER LL. SOCIAL WORK RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION PROGRAM
16	16	Sec. 61.9851. DEFINITION. In this subchapter, "program"
17	17	means the social work intern practicum stipend (SWIPS) program.
18	18	Sec. 61.9852. ESTABLISHMENT AND ADMINISTRATION OF PROGRAM.
19	19	The board shall establish and administer a social work recruitment
20	20	and retention program to provide an intern practicum stipend to
21	21	assist students at institutions of higher education in obtaining
22	22	field hours necessary for program coursework related to completing
23	23	a bachelor's or master's degree in social work.
24	24	Sec. 61.9853. ELIGIBILITY; PRIORITY OF APPLICANTS. (a) To
25	25	be eligible to receive a stipend under the program, a student must:
26	26	(1) apply to the board in the form and manner
27	27	prescribed by board rule;
28	28	(2) be enrolled at an institution of higher education
29	29	in an educational program that is accredited by the Council on
30	30	Social Work Education leading to a bachelor's or master's degree in
31	31	social work;
32	32	(3) be accepted into a practicum placement approved by
33	33	the board for purposes of the program;
34	34	(4) enter into a written agreement with the board as
35	35	provided by board rule; and
36	36	(5) satisfy any other criteria prescribed by board
37	37	rule.
38	38	(b) The board shall establish a method for prioritizing
39	39	applicants for practicum stipends in the event the total amount of
40	40	money available to provide stipends under this subchapter for an
41	41	academic year is not sufficient to provide a stipend to each
42	42	applicant who is eligible under Subsection (a). The priority
43	43	criteria must include:
44	44	(1) qualification for need-based aid based on free
45	45	application for federal student aid (FAFSA) indicators; and
46	46	(2) practicum placement in a mental health
47	47	professional shortage area designated by the Department of State
48	48	Health Services.
49	49	Sec. 61.9854. PRACTICUM STIPEND AWARDS. (a) The amount of
50	50	a practicum stipend award to which an eligible student is entitled
51	51	is an amount equal to:
52	52	(1) for a student enrolled in a bachelor's degree
53	53	program, $15 per hour for each hour of supervised field hours in an
54	54	approved practicum program, not to exceed a total of $6,000; or
55	55	(2) for a student enrolled in a master's degree
56	56	program, $20 per hour for each hour of supervised field hours in an
57	57	approved practicum program, not to exceed a total of $9,000.
58	58	(b) Each academic year, the board shall provide money for
59	59	the practicum stipends to institutions of higher education with
60	60	Council on Social Work Education-accredited educational programs
61	61	based on the institution's anticipated need. Each institution shall
62	62	determine the timeline and procedure for distributing the money for
63	63	that academic year to eligible students based on the board's
64	64	priority criteria adopted under Section 61.9853(b), if applicable.
65	65	(c) An institution of higher education shall remit to the
66	66	board any unused money received by the institution under the
67	67	program for an academic year as soon as practicable following that
68	68	academic year.
69	69	Sec. 61.9855. PRIORITY OF INSTITUTIONS. The board shall
70	70	establish a method for prioritizing institutions of higher
71	71	education for distribution of practicum stipends in the event the
72	72	total amount of money available to provide stipends under this
73	73	subchapter for an academic year is not sufficient to provide money
74	74	for stipends at each institution described by Section 61.9854(b).
75	75	The priority criteria shall include:
76	76	(1) serving a high percentage of students who qualify
77	77	for need-based aid based on free application for federal student
78	78	aid (FAFSA) indicators;
79	79	(2) having a high number of students who complete
80	80	practicum placements in mental health professional shortage areas
81	81	designated by the Department of State Health Services; and
82	82	(3) designation as a historically black college or
83	83	university or a Hispanic-serving institution.
84	84	Sec. 61.9856. REPORTS. (a) Each institution of higher
85	85	education that receives money for practicum stipends under the
86	86	program for an academic year shall collect and submit data in the
87	87	form of a report to the board each semester. The report must include
88	88	information regarding:
89	89	(1) the amount of money distributed by the institution
90	90	under the program for that semester;
91	91	(2) the number of participants in the program during
92	92	that semester; and
93	93	(3) any other expenses incurred by the institution
94	94	related to the program for that semester.
95	95	(b) Not later than September 1 of each even-numbered year,
96	96	the board shall submit a report on the program to the governor, the
97	97	lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of representatives,
98	98	and each standing committee of the legislature with primary
99	99	jurisdiction over matters relating to finance. The report must
100	100	include an analysis of the program's effectiveness and any
101	101	recommendations for legislative or other action.
102	102	Sec. 61.9857. RULES. The board shall adopt rules necessary
103	103	for the administration of this subchapter.
104	104	SECTION 2. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
105	105	shall adopt rules for the administration of Subchapter LL, Chapter
106	106	61, Education Code, as added by this Act, as soon as practicable
107	107	after this Act takes effect.
108	108	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
109	109	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
110	110	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
111	111	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
112	112	Act takes effect September 1, 2025.