Bill Text: TX HB3808 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Relating to measures to facilitate the timely graduation of and attainment of marketable skills by students in public higher education.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 6-0)
Status: (Passed) 2019-06-14 - Effective immediately [HB3808 Detail]
Download: Texas-2019-HB3808-Enrolled.html
H.B. No. 3808 |
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relating to measures to facilitate the timely graduation of and | ||
attainment of marketable skills by students in public higher | ||
education. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Subchapter Z, Chapter 51, Education Code, is | ||
amended by adding Section 51.9358 to read as follows: | ||
Sec. 51.9358. DESIGNATION OF SUPPORT SERVICES LIAISON | ||
OFFICER TO ASSIST STUDENTS. (a) In this section: | ||
(1) "Coordinating board" means the Texas Higher | ||
Education Coordinating Board. | ||
(2) "Institution of higher education" has the meaning | ||
assigned by Section 61.003. | ||
(b) Each institution of higher education shall designate at | ||
least one employee of the institution to act as a liaison officer | ||
for current or incoming students at the institution. The liaison | ||
officer shall provide to the students comprehensive information | ||
regarding support services and other resources available to the | ||
students, including: | ||
(1) resources to access: | ||
(A) medical and behavioral health coverage and | ||
services; and | ||
(B) public benefit programs, including programs | ||
related to food security, affordable housing, and housing | ||
subsidies; | ||
(2) public benefit program case management assistance | ||
and counseling; | ||
(3) parenting and child care resources; | ||
(4) employment assistance; | ||
(5) financial counseling and tax preparation | ||
assistance; | ||
(6) transportation assistance; | ||
(7) student academic success strategies; and | ||
(8) any other resources developed by the institution | ||
to assist the students. | ||
(c) An institution of higher education may designate under | ||
Subsection (b) the same employee to act as liaison officer as the | ||
employee designated under Section 51.9356 to act as liaison officer | ||
for current and incoming students at the institution who were | ||
formerly in the conservatorship of the Department of Family and | ||
Protective Services. | ||
SECTION 2. Section 51.9685(a)(2), Education Code, is | ||
amended to read as follows: | ||
(2) "Institution of higher education" has [ |
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61.003. | ||
SECTION 3. Section 51.9685, Education Code, is amended by | ||
amending Subsections (b), (c), and (g) to read as follows: | ||
(b) Except as otherwise provided by Subsection (c), each | ||
student enrolled in an associate or bachelor's degree program at an | ||
institution of higher education shall file a degree plan with the | ||
institution after the 12th class day but before [ |
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end of the [ |
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the semester or term in which the student earned a cumulative total | ||
of 30 [ |
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successfully completed by the student, including transfer courses, | ||
international baccalaureate courses, dual credit courses, and any | ||
other course for which the institution the student attends has | ||
awarded the student college course credit, including course credit | ||
awarded by examination. | ||
(c) A student to whom Subsection (b) [ |
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who begins the student's first semester or term at an institution of | ||
higher education with 30 [ |
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course credit for courses described by Subsection (b) shall file a | ||
degree plan with the institution after the 12th class day but before | ||
[ |
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semester or term [ |
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(g) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, in | ||
consultation with institutions of higher education, shall [ |
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adopt rules as necessary for the administration of this section, | ||
including rules to ensure compliance with this section. In | ||
adopting those rules, the coordinating board shall use the | ||
negotiated rulemaking procedures under Chapter 2008, Government | ||
Code. | ||
SECTION 4. Section 56.074, Education Code, is amended to | ||
read as follows: | ||
Sec. 56.074. ELIGIBLE INSTITUTION; PARTICIPATION | ||
REQUIREMENTS. (a) An eligible institution is: | ||
(1) an institution of higher education; or | ||
(2) a private or independent college, university, | ||
association, agency, institution, or facility that is located in | ||
this state which meets program standards and accreditation | ||
comparable to public institutions as determined by the board. | ||
(b) To participate in the Texas college work-study program, | ||
an eligible institution must: | ||
(1) provide employment to an eligible student in | ||
nonpartisan and nonsectarian activities; | ||
(2) provide, insofar as is practicable, employment to | ||
an eligible student that is related to the student's academic | ||
interests; | ||
(3) use work-study program positions only to | ||
supplement and not supplant positions normally filled by persons | ||
not eligible to participate in the work-study program; | ||
(4) provide from sources other than federal college | ||
work-study program funds a percentage of an employed student's | ||
wages that is equal to the percentage of a student's wages that the | ||
eligible institution would be required to provide to the student in | ||
that academic year under the federal college work-study program; | ||
and | ||
(5) provide from sources other than federal college | ||
work-study funds 100 percent of other employee benefits for the | ||
employed student. | ||
SECTION 5. Section 56.078, Education Code, is amended to | ||
read as follows: | ||
Sec. 56.078. FUNDING. Funding to cover the state's | ||
contribution toward the funding of the work-study program under | ||
this subchapter and the Texas WORKS internship program under | ||
Subchapter E-1 is payable from funds appropriated for that purpose. | ||
SECTION 6. Section 56.082, Education Code, is amended to | ||
read as follows: | ||
Sec. 56.082. ANNUAL REPORT. Not later than January 1 of | ||
each year, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall | ||
submit to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the | ||
house of representatives, and the standing legislative committees | ||
with primary jurisdiction over higher education and post on the | ||
coordinating board's Internet website a report on the Texas college | ||
work-study program and the Texas WORKS internship program under | ||
Subchapter E-l. The report must include the total number of | ||
students employed through the programs [ |
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by: | ||
(1) race, ethnicity, and gender; | ||
(2) major and certificate or degree program; | ||
(3) classification as a freshman, sophomore, junior, | ||
or senior or the equivalent; | ||
(4) enrollment in a full course load or less than a | ||
full course load, as determined by the coordinating board; | ||
(5) the employment position's location on or off | ||
campus; and | ||
(6) the employer's status as a for-profit or nonprofit | ||
entity. | ||
SECTION 7. Chapter 56, Education Code, is amended by adding | ||
Subchapter E-1 to read as follows: | ||
SUBCHAPTER E-1. TEXAS WORKING OFF-CAMPUS: REINFORCING KNOWLEDGE | ||
AND SKILLS (WORKS) INTERNSHIP PROGRAM | ||
Sec. 56.0851. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter: | ||
(1) "Coordinating board" means the Texas Higher | ||
Education Coordinating Board. | ||
(2) "Eligible wages" means gross wages paid to an | ||
individual student in the student's program employment. | ||
(3) "Program" or "Texas WORKS internship program" | ||
means the Texas Working Off-Campus: Reinforcing Knowledge and | ||
Skills (WORKS) Internship Program. | ||
Sec. 56.0852. PROGRAM NAME. The student financial | ||
assistance program authorized by this subchapter is the Texas | ||
Working Off-Campus: Reinforcing Knowledge and Skills (WORKS) | ||
Internship Program. | ||
Sec. 56.0853. PURPOSE. The purpose of the program is to | ||
provide jobs funded in part by the State of Texas to enable students | ||
employed through the program to attend public or private | ||
institutions of higher education in Texas while exploring career | ||
options and strengthening marketable skills. | ||
Sec. 56.0854. ADMINISTRATION. (a) The coordinating board | ||
shall administer the program and collaborate with eligible | ||
employers to provide students employed through the program with | ||
employment funded in part by the state. | ||
(b) The coordinating board shall establish criteria to | ||
ensure that: | ||
(1) a participating employer is reimbursed under the | ||
program at the rate established by the coordinating board only for | ||
fully paid eligible wages; and | ||
(2) marketable skills to be strengthened or gained | ||
through a student's internship position are identified. | ||
(c) The coordinating board shall develop a standard | ||
contract establishing the roles and responsibilities of eligible | ||
employers, base wages and minimum work hours for students employed | ||
through the program, and any other provisions identified by the | ||
coordinating board as necessary to administer the program. The | ||
coordinating board shall use the standard contract as a model for | ||
the memorandum of understanding required to be entered into by | ||
eligible employers. | ||
(d) The coordinating board may use funds appropriated for | ||
the Texas college work-study program and the Texas WORKS internship | ||
program to establish and maintain an online portal for use by | ||
students and participating entities in fulfilling their | ||
responsibilities for participation in the Texas WORKS internship | ||
program. The coordinating board may use funds appropriated for the | ||
Texas college work-study program and the Texas WORKS internship | ||
program to cover the expenses and personnel costs of administering | ||
and assessing the Texas WORKS internship program. | ||
(e) If funding for the program is insufficient to cover the | ||
cost of all students eligible for the program, as provided by | ||
coordinating board rule, priority for funding is based on | ||
eligibility criteria established by coordinating board rule to | ||
further the purposes of the program. | ||
(f) Funds received by students employed through the program | ||
as eligible wages are not considered as financial aid for the | ||
academic year in which the funds are earned. | ||
Sec. 56.0855. ELIGIBLE EMPLOYER. (a) The coordinating | ||
board may enter into agreements with employers that participate in | ||
the program. | ||
(b) To be eligible to enter into an agreement with the | ||
coordinating board to participate in the program, an employer must: | ||
(1) except as provided by Subsection (c), be a private | ||
nonprofit or for-profit entity or a governmental entity; | ||
(2) demonstrate the administrative and financial | ||
capacity to carry out the employer's responsibilities under the | ||
program, including the ability to pay full wages and benefits to a | ||
student employed through the program; | ||
(3) enter into a memorandum of understanding with the | ||
coordinating board; | ||
(4) provide employment to a student employed through | ||
the program in nonpartisan and nonsectarian activities that relate | ||
to the student's long-term career interests; | ||
(5) use program positions only to supplement and not | ||
supplant positions normally filled by persons who are not eligible | ||
to participate in the program, as provided by coordinating board | ||
rule; | ||
(6) provide the entirety of an employed student's | ||
wages and employee benefits; | ||
(7) submit eligible wages to the coordinating board | ||
for reimbursement; and | ||
(8) comply with other requirements adopted by the | ||
coordinating board under this subchapter. | ||
(c) An employer is not eligible to participate in the | ||
program if the employer is: | ||
(1) a public or private institution of higher | ||
education in Texas; or | ||
(2) a career school or college, as defined by Section | ||
132.001. | ||
Sec. 56.0856. ADOPTION OF RULES. (a) The coordinating | ||
board shall adopt reasonable rules, consistent with the purpose of | ||
the program, to enforce the requirements, conditions, and | ||
limitations provided by this subchapter. | ||
(b) The coordinating board shall adopt rules necessary to | ||
ensure compliance with the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VI (Pub. | ||
L. No. 88-352), concerning nondiscrimination in admissions or | ||
employment. | ||
Sec. 56.0857. ONLINE LIST OF TEXAS WORKS EMPLOYMENT | ||
OPPORTUNITIES. The coordinating board shall: | ||
(1) establish and maintain an online listing of Texas | ||
WORKS internship program employment opportunities available to | ||
students, sortable by employer, and include other relevant features | ||
such as job description, job field, or skills required, as | ||
appropriate; and | ||
(2) ensure that the list is easily accessible to the | ||
public through a clearly identifiable link that appears in a | ||
prominent place on the coordinating board's Internet website. | ||
SECTION 8. Section 130.0104(c), Education Code, is amended | ||
to read as follows: | ||
(c) In complying with the requirements regarding the filing | ||
of a degree plan under [ |
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program established under this section [ |
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with an academic advisor to complete a degree plan [ |
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(1) accounts for all remaining credit hours required | ||
for the completion of the degree program; and | ||
(2) emphasizes: | ||
(A) the student's transition to a particular | ||
four-year college or university that the student chooses; and | ||
(B) preparations for the student's intended | ||
field of study or major at the four-year college or university. | ||
SECTION 9. Sections 51.9685(c-1) and 56.076(b), Education | ||
Code, are repealed. | ||
SECTION 10. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b) of this | ||
section, this Act applies beginning with the 2020 summer term. | ||
(b) Section 51.9358, Education Code, as added by this Act, | ||
and Sections 51.9685 and 130.0104, Education Code, as amended by | ||
this Act, apply beginning with the 2019-2020 academic year. | ||
SECTION 11. As soon as practicable after the effective date | ||
of this Act, the commissioner of the Texas Higher Education | ||
Coordinating Board shall develop the rules and procedures necessary | ||
for the implementation of Subchapter E-1, Chapter 56, Education | ||
Code, as added by this Act. | ||
SECTION 12. 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, 2019. | ||
______________________________ | ______________________________ | |
President of the Senate | Speaker of the House | |
I certify that H.B. No. 3808 was passed by the House on April | ||
25, 2019, by the following vote: Yeas 126, Nays 7, 1 present, not | ||
voting; that the House refused to concur in Senate amendments to | ||
H.B. No. 3808 on May 24, 2019, and requested the appointment of a | ||
conference committee to consider the differences between the two | ||
houses; and that the House adopted the conference committee report | ||
on H.B. No. 3808 on May 26, 2019, by the following vote: Yeas 132, | ||
Nays 11, 1 present, not voting. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Chief Clerk of the House | ||
I certify that H.B. No. 3808 was passed by the Senate, with | ||
amendments, on May 22, 2019, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays | ||
0; at the request of the House, the Senate appointed a conference | ||
committee to consider the differences between the two houses; and | ||
that the Senate adopted the conference committee report on H.B. No. | ||
3808 on May 26, 2019, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Secretary of the Senate | ||
APPROVED: __________________ | ||
Date | ||
__________________ | ||
Governor |