Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB2163 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R4800 CMO-F
2	2	By: Parker S.B. No. 2163
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to measures to assist students enrolled at public
10	10	institutions of higher education who are homeless or who are or were
11	11	in foster care.
12	12	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
13	13	SECTION 1. The heading to Section 51.9356, Education Code,
14	14	is amended to read as follows:
15	15	Sec. 51.9356. DESIGNATION OF LIAISON OFFICER TO ASSIST
16	16	STUDENTS WHO ARE OR WERE IN FOSTER CARE OR WHO ARE HOMELESS.
17	17	SECTION 2. Section 51.9356, Education Code, is amended by
18	18	amending Subsections (a), (b), and (d) and adding Subsections (b-1)
19	19	and (g) to read as follows:
20	20	(a) In this section:
21	21	(1) "Institution[, "institution] of higher education"
22	22	has the meaning assigned by Section 61.003.
23	23	(2) "Students who are homeless" has the meaning
24	24	assigned to the term "homeless children and youths" under 42 U.S.C.
25	25	Section 11434a and includes students who reside in a student
26	26	housing facility maintained by an institution of higher education
27	27	during an academic term but who are homeless between academic
28	28	terms.
29	29	(b) Each institution of higher education shall designate at
30	30	least one employee of the institution to act as a liaison officer
31	31	for current and incoming:
32	32	(1) students [at the institution] who are or were
33	33	[formerly] in the conservatorship of the Department of Family and
34	34	Protective Services; and
35	35	(2) students who are homeless.
36	36	(b-1) To the extent allowed by state or federal law, each
37	37	[the] institution of higher education shall identify [those]
38	38	students described by Subsection (b) from information provided to
39	39	the institution in admission or financial aid applications or other
40	40	available resources.
41	41	(d) The liaison officer shall:
42	42	(1) contact a person designated under 42 U.S.C.
43	43	Section 11432(g)(1)(J)(ii) as necessary to facilitate the
44	44	transition of students described by Subsection (b) from secondary
45	45	to postsecondary education; and
46	46	(2) provide to those [the] students [described by
47	47	Subsection (b)] information regarding support services and other
48	48	resources available to the students at the institution of higher
49	49	education, including information about financial aid, on-campus
50	50	and off-campus housing, food and meal programs, and counseling
51	51	services, and any other relevant information to assist the
52	52	students.
53	53	(g) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall
54	54	adopt rules and establish policies and procedures to ensure that a
55	55	liaison officer designated under this section to serve students who
56	56	are homeless participates in a professional development program
57	57	under 42 U.S.C. Section 11432(d)(5).
58	58	SECTION 3. The heading to Section 51.978, Education Code,
59	59	is amended to read as follows:
60	60	Sec. 51.978. TEMPORARY HOUSING BETWEEN ACADEMIC TERMS FOR
61	61	CERTAIN STUDENTS WHO WERE [FORMERLY] UNDER CONSERVATORSHIP OF
62	62	DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY AND PROTECTIVE SERVICES OR WHO ARE HOMELESS.
63	63	SECTION 4. Section 51.978(a), Education Code, is amended by
64	64	adding Subdivision (3) to read as follows:
65	65	(3) "Students who are homeless" has the meaning
66	66	assigned to the term "homeless children and youths" under 42 U.S.C.
67	67	Section 11434a and includes students who reside in a student
68	68	housing facility maintained by an institution of higher education
69	69	during an academic term but who are homeless between academic
70	70	terms.
71	71	SECTION 5. Section 51.978(b), Education Code, is amended to
72	72	read as follows:
73	73	(b) To be eligible to receive housing assistance from an
74	74	institution of higher education under Subsection (c), a student
75	75	must:
76	76	(1) be:
77	77	(A) a student who has [have] been under the
78	78	conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services
79	79	or its predecessor in function on the day preceding:
80	80	(i) [(A)] the student's 18th birthday; or
81	81	(ii) [(B)] the date the student's
82	82	disabilities of minority are removed by a court under Chapter 31,
83	83	Family Code; or
84	84	(B) a student who is homeless;
85	85	(2) be enrolled full-time at the institution during
86	86	the academic term:
87	87	(A) for which the student requests the housing
88	88	assistance; or
89	89	(B) immediately preceding the period for which
90	90	the student requests the housing assistance;
91	91	(3) be registered or otherwise have taken the actions
92	92	required by the institution to permit the student to enroll
93	93	full-time at the institution during the academic term immediately
94	94	following the period for which the student requests the housing
95	95	assistance; and
96	96	(4) lack other reasonable temporary housing
97	97	alternatives between the academic terms described by Subdivisions
98	98	(2) and (3), as determined by the institution.
99	99	SECTION 6. Subchapter Z, Chapter 51, Education Code, is
100	100	amended by adding Section 51.9781 to read as follows:
101	101	Sec. 51.9781. PRIORITY ACCESS TO STUDENT HOUSING FOR
102	102	STUDENTS WHO ARE HOMELESS. (a) In this section:
103	103	(1) "Institution of higher education" has the meaning
104	104	assigned by Section 61.003.
105	105	(2) "Students who are homeless" has the meaning
106	106	assigned to the term "homeless children and youths" under 42 U.S.C.
107	107	Section 11434a and includes students who reside in a student
108	108	housing facility maintained by an institution of higher education
109	109	during an academic term but who are homeless between academic
110	110	terms.
111	111	(b) An institution of higher education that maintains
112	112	student housing facilities shall give priority in the assignment of
113	113	housing in those facilities to students who are homeless.
114	114	SECTION 7. Section 61.0908, Education Code, is amended to
115	115	read as follows:
116	116	Sec. 61.0908. DESIGNATION OF LIAISON OFFICER TO ASSIST
117	117	STUDENTS WHO WERE [FORMERLY] IN FOSTER CARE OR WHO ARE HOMELESS.
118	118	(a) In this section, "students who are homeless" has the meaning
119	119	assigned to the term "homeless children and youths" under 42 U.S.C.
120	120	Section 11434a and includes students who reside in a student
121	121	housing facility maintained by an institution of higher education
122	122	during an academic term but who are homeless between academic
123	123	terms.
124	124	(b) The board shall designate at least one employee of the
125	125	board to act as a liaison officer for the following current and
126	126	incoming students at institutions of higher education:
127	127	(1) students who were [formerly] in the
128	128	conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective
129	129	Services; and
130	130	(2) students who are homeless.
131	131	(c) The liaison officer shall assist in coordinating
132	132	college readiness and student success efforts relating to [those]
133	133	students described by Subsection (b).
134	134	(d) The board shall establish policies and procedures to
135	135	ensure that a liaison officer designated under this section to
136	136	serve students who are homeless participates in a professional
137	137	development program under 42 U.S.C. Section 11432(d)(5).
138	138	SECTION 8. Section 61.0909, Education Code, is amended to
139	139	read as follows:
140	140	Sec. 61.0909. MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING REGARDING
141	141	EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS WHO WERE [FORMERLY] IN FOSTER
142	142	CARE OR WHO ARE HOMELESS. (a) In this section:
143	143	(1) "Agency" means the Texas Education Agency.
144	144	(2) "Department"[, "department"] means the Department
145	145	of Family and Protective Services.
146	146	(3) "Students who are homeless" has the meaning
147	147	assigned to the term "homeless children and youths" under 42 U.S.C.
148	148	Section 11434a and includes students who reside in a student
149	149	housing facility maintained by an institution of higher education
150	150	during an academic term but who are homeless between academic
151	151	terms.
152	152	(b) The board, the agency, and the department shall enter
153	153	into a memorandum of understanding regarding the exchange of
154	154	information as appropriate to facilitate:
155	155	(1) the department's evaluation of educational
156	156	outcomes of students at institutions of higher education who were
157	157	[formerly] in the conservatorship of the department; and
158	158	(2) the agency's evaluation of educational outcomes at
159	159	institutions of higher education of students who are homeless.
160	160	(b-1) The memorandum of understanding must require:
161	161	(1) the department to provide the board each year with
162	162	demographic information regarding individual students enrolled at
163	163	institutions of higher education who were [formerly] in the
164	164	conservatorship of the department following an adversarial hearing
165	165	under Section 262.201, Family Code;
166	166	(2) the agency to provide the board each year with
167	167	demographic information regarding individual students who are
168	168	homeless and who are enrolled at an institution of higher
169	169	education; and
170	170	(3) [(2)] the board, in a manner consistent with
171	171	federal law, to provide:
172	172	(A) the department with aggregate information
173	173	regarding educational outcomes of students for whom the board
174	174	received demographic information under Subdivision (1); and
175	175	(B) the agency with aggregate information
176	176	regarding educational outcomes of students for whom the board
177	177	received demographic information under Subdivision (2).
178	178	(c) For purposes of Subsection (b-1)(3) [(b)(2)],
179	179	information regarding educational outcomes includes information
180	180	relating to student academic achievement, graduation rates,
181	181	attendance, and other educational outcomes as determined by the
182	182	board, the agency, and the department.
183	183	(d) The department or the agency may authorize the board to
184	184	provide education research centers established under Section 1.005
185	185	with demographic information regarding individual students
186	186	received by the board in accordance with Subsections (b-1)(1) and
187	187	(2) [Subsection (b)(1)], as appropriate to allow the centers to
188	188	perform additional analysis regarding educational outcomes of
189	189	students who were in the conservatorship of the department and of
190	190	students who are homeless [foster care]. Any use of information
191	191	regarding individual students provided to a center under this
192	192	subsection must be approved by the department or the agency, as
193	193	applicable.
194	194	(e) This [Nothing in this] section may not be construed to:
195	195	(1) require the board, the agency, or the department
196	196	to collect or maintain additional information regarding students
197	197	who were [formerly] in the conservatorship of the department or
198	198	students who are homeless; or
199	199	(2) allow the release of information regarding an
200	200	individual student in a manner not permitted under the Family
201	201	Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (20 U.S.C. Section
202	202	1232g) or another state or federal law.
203	203	SECTION 9. (a) As soon as practicable after the effective
204	204	date of this Act, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
205	205	shall adopt rules and establish policies and procedures as required
206	206	by Section 51.9356, Education Code, as amended by this Act.
207	207	(b) As soon as practicable after the effective date of this
208	208	Act, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall establish
209	209	policies and procedures as required by Section 61.0908, Education
210	210	Code, as amended by this Act.
211	211	(c) Not later than January 1, 2026, the Texas Higher
212	212	Education Coordinating Board shall designate a liaison officer as
213	213	required by Section 61.0908, Education Code, as amended by this
214	214	Act.
215	215	(d) Not later than March 1, 2026, the Texas Higher Education
216	216	Coordinating Board, the Department of Family and Protective
217	217	Services, and the Texas Education Agency shall enter into the
218	218	memorandum of understanding as required by Section 61.0909,
219	219	Education Code, as amended by this Act.
220	220	SECTION 10. This Act takes effect immediately if it
221	221	receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each
222	222	house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.
223	223	If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate
224	224	effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2025.