Bill Text: TX HB2033 | 2021-2022 | 87th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to the establishment by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board of a grant program for regional postsecondary education collaboratives.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-03-15 - Referred to Higher Education [HB2033 Detail]
Download: Texas-2021-HB2033-Introduced.html
87R8047 KJE-D | ||
By: Turner of Tarrant | H.B. No. 2033 |
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relating to the establishment by the Texas Higher Education | ||
Coordinating Board of a grant program for regional postsecondary | ||
education collaboratives. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding | ||
Subchapter W to read as follows: | ||
SUBCHAPTER W. REGIONAL POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION | ||
COLLABORATIVES GRANT PROGRAM | ||
Sec. 61.931. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter: | ||
(1) "Low-income student" means a student who is | ||
eligible to receive a grant under the federal Pell Grant program. | ||
(2) "Regional postsecondary education collaborative" | ||
means a partnership or other collaboration between stakeholders in | ||
education, such as school districts, institutions of higher | ||
education, private or independent institutions of higher | ||
education, employers, and communities, to improve postsecondary | ||
educational outcomes in a region of the state. | ||
Sec. 61.932. GRANT PROGRAM. (a) The board shall establish | ||
and administer a competitive grant program under which the board | ||
awards grants to eligible regional postsecondary education | ||
collaboratives to improve postsecondary educational outcomes for | ||
low-income students in the state. | ||
(b) In awarding grants under the program, the board shall | ||
give priority to eligible regional postsecondary education | ||
collaboratives that: | ||
(1) focus on supporting low-income students; or | ||
(2) have a demonstrated connection to critical | ||
workforce fields, as determined by the board. | ||
Sec. 61.933. ELIGIBILITY. To be eligible to receive a grant | ||
under this subchapter, a regional postsecondary education | ||
collaborative must: | ||
(1) raise a minimum amount of funding from other | ||
sources for the collaborative's costs, as established by board | ||
rule; | ||
(2) provide, at a minimum, a scholarship to students | ||
in an amount that, when combined with other federal or state student | ||
financial assistance for which the student is eligible, covers the | ||
full cost of tuition and required fees for two academic years at a | ||
public junior college; | ||
(3) build partnerships committed to changing | ||
postsecondary education systems and improving postsecondary | ||
educational outcomes through the use of data, mutual | ||
accountability, and engagement between a student and the student's | ||
community; | ||
(4) measure the collaborative's success by achievement | ||
of increasing postsecondary enrollment and completion at any | ||
institution of higher education or private or independent | ||
institution of higher education and career entry for all students | ||
the collaborative assists; | ||
(5) provide personalized outreach to students and | ||
parents; | ||
(6) provide proactive, holistic supports to assist | ||
students in postsecondary persistence and completion and in | ||
connecting with employers; and | ||
(7) satisfy any additional requirements established | ||
by board rule. | ||
Sec. 61.934. GRANT AMOUNT. (a) A grant awarded to an | ||
eligible regional postsecondary education collaborative under the | ||
program must be made for two sequential academic years and consists | ||
of: | ||
(1) an initial amount at the beginning of each | ||
academic year equal to $1,000 for each low-income student who: | ||
(A) graduated from high school in the preceding | ||
school year; and | ||
(B) enrolls at an institution of higher education | ||
or a private or independent institution of higher education for | ||
that academic year with the assistance of the collaborative; and | ||
(2) at the end of the academic year for which the | ||
initial amount under Subdivision (1) is awarded, a bonus for each | ||
student described by Subdivision (1) who: | ||
(A) persists at an institution of higher | ||
education or a private or independent institution of higher | ||
education, as determined by board rule, except that the bonus may be | ||
awarded only for the number of those students in excess of the | ||
number of students described by Subdivision (1) who would need to | ||
persist at an institution of higher education or a private or | ||
independent institution of higher education for the students' | ||
persistence rate to be equal to the statewide persistence rate of | ||
low-income students at all institutions of higher education or | ||
private or independent institutions of higher education during the | ||
2018-2019 academic year; or | ||
(B) timely completes a certificate or degree | ||
program at an institution of higher education or a private or | ||
independent institution of higher education, as provided by | ||
Subsection (d), except that the bonus may be awarded only for the | ||
number of those students in excess of the number of students | ||
described by Subdivision (1) who would need to timely complete a | ||
certificate or degree program at an institution of higher education | ||
or a private or independent institution of higher education for the | ||
students' timely completion rate to be equal to the statewide | ||
timely completion rate of low-income students at institutions of | ||
higher education or private or independent institutions of higher | ||
education during the 2018-2019 academic year. | ||
(b) The bonus per student under Subsection (a)(2)(A) is an | ||
amount equal to $25 million divided by the total number of students | ||
who qualify for the bonus. | ||
(c) The bonus per student under Subsection (a)(2)(B) is an | ||
amount equal to $20 million divided by the total number of students | ||
who qualify for the bonus. | ||
(d) For purposes of this section, "timely completion" means | ||
completion of a certificate or degree program within one and | ||
one-half times the number of calendar years generally required to | ||
complete the program, as determined by the board. | ||
Sec. 61.935. GRANT USE. A grant awarded to an eligible | ||
regional postsecondary education collaborative under this | ||
subchapter may be used only for: | ||
(1) staff support for the collaborative; | ||
(2) student services designed to increase | ||
postsecondary enrollment, persistence, and completion; | ||
(3) student financial assistance; | ||
(4) programs that provide training for regional jobs | ||
in high demand that pay a living wage; and | ||
(5) other expenses approved by the board. | ||
Sec. 61.936. REPORTING. (a) Each regional postsecondary | ||
education collaborative that receives a grant under this subchapter | ||
shall collect and report to the board information regarding | ||
postsecondary enrollment, persistence, and completion, | ||
disaggregated by semester or term, as required by the board to | ||
assist the board in fulfilling its duties under this subchapter. | ||
(b) Not later than December 1 of each year, the board shall | ||
submit to the legislature a report on the effectiveness of the grant | ||
program established under this subchapter and any recommendations | ||
for legislative or other action. | ||
Sec. 61.937. RULES. The board may adopt rules as necessary | ||
to implement this subchapter. | ||
Sec. 61.938. FEDERAL FUNDING CONTINGENCY. The board is | ||
required to implement the grant program established under this | ||
subchapter only if federal funding is provided to the board for that | ||
purpose as part of any federal coronavirus disease (COVID-19) | ||
relief spending appropriated on or after January 1, 2021. If such | ||
funding is not provided for that purpose, the board may, but is not | ||
required to, implement the grant program using other money | ||
available to the board for that purpose. | ||
SECTION 2. (a) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating | ||
Board shall adopt rules to administer Subchapter W, Chapter 61, | ||
Education Code, as added by this Act, as soon as practicable after | ||
the effective date of this Act. | ||
(b) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall | ||
begin awarding grants under Subchapter W, Chapter 61, Education | ||
Code, as added by this Act, for the first academic year for which | ||
federal funding is appropriated for that purpose. | ||
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives | ||
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as | ||
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this | ||
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this | ||
Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |