H.B. No. 4363
 
 
 
 
AN ACT
  relating to the establishment of the Future Texas Teachers
  Scholarship Program for certain students at public institutions of
  higher education.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Chapter 56, Education Code, is amended by adding
  Subchapter S to read as follows:
  SUBCHAPTER S. FUTURE TEXAS TEACHERS SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
         Sec. 56.501.  DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
               (1)  "Coordinating board" means the Texas Higher
  Education Coordinating Board.
               (2)  "Eligible institution" means a general academic
  teaching institution or a private or independent institution of
  higher education, as those terms are defined by Section 61.003,
  that operates an eligible educator preparation program.
               (3)  "Enrolled full-time" means enrolled for at least
  12 semester credit hours or participating in a clinical teaching
  assignment or internship that meets criteria established by State
  Board for Educator Certification rule for initial certification as
  a classroom teacher.
               (4)  "Scholarship program" means the Future Texas
  Teachers Scholarship Program authorized by this subchapter.
         Sec. 56.502.  PURPOSE. The Future Texas Teachers
  Scholarship Program is created to recruit, prepare, and retain a
  talented and diverse workforce of career teachers to be leaders in
  their field and to provide assistance for tuition, mandatory fees,
  and other usual and customary costs of attendance at an eligible
  institution as provided by Sections 56.506 and 56.507.
         Sec. 56.503.  ELIGIBLE EDUCATOR PREPARATION PROGRAMS. To be
  eligible to participate in the scholarship program, an educator
  preparation program must:
               (1)  be operated by an eligible institution;
               (2)  provide a structured system of support to assist
  scholarship recipients to successfully complete the educator
  preparation program;
               (3)  require additional hours of field-based
  experience for students above the minimum hours required by State
  Board for Educator Certification rule;
               (4)  require additional hours of clinical teaching
  experience for students above the minimum hours required by State
  Board for Educator Certification rule;
               (5)  provide or facilitate opportunities for
  scholarship recipients to participate in learning opportunities
  beyond the university classroom setting; and
               (6)  comply with other eligibility criteria
  established by coordinating board rule.
         Sec. 56.504.  INITIAL STUDENT ELIGIBILITY FOR SCHOLARSHIP.
  (a) To be eligible initially for a scholarship under the
  scholarship program, a person must:
               (1)  be a Texas resident under Section 54.052;
               (2)  either:
                     (A)  be enrolled full-time in an eligible
  institution; or
                     (B)  have applied for admission to an eligible
  institution and enroll full-time in that institution in the
  academic year immediately following the person's application;
               (3)  once enrolled full-time in an eligible
  institution, be working toward a baccalaureate or master's degree
  and on track to be admitted to an eligible educator preparation
  program, as verified by the eligible institution operating the
  educator preparation program;
               (4)  demonstrate a commitment to pursuing a career as a
  classroom teacher in a public school in this state:
                     (A)  in a teaching field identified by the
  commissioner of education as experiencing a critical shortage of
  teachers in this state; or
                     (B)  in a public school in this state in which a
  majority of students enrolled are educationally disadvantaged;
               (5)  comply with Section 28.0256;
               (6)  complete a criminal history background check from:
                     (A)  any law enforcement or criminal justice
  agency; or
                     (B)  a private entity that is a consumer reporting
  agency governed by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. Section
  1681 et seq.);
               (7)  provide the educator preparation program with the
  completed background check report and any supplemental
  documentation the program may request to evaluate the background
  check report for the purposes of this section; and
               (8)  comply with any other academic or nonacademic
  requirements adopted by the coordinating board under this
  subchapter.
         (b)  A person is not eligible to receive a scholarship under
  the scholarship program if the person has been convicted of a felony
  or misdemeanor offense relating to the duties and responsibilities
  of the education profession, including:
               (1)  an offense involving moral turpitude;
               (2)  an offense involving a form of sexual or physical
  abuse of a minor or student or other illegal conduct in which the
  victim is a minor or student;
               (3)  a felony offense involving the possession,
  transfer, sale, or distribution of or conspiracy to possess,
  transfer, sell, or distribute a controlled substance, as defined by
  Chapter 481, Health and Safety Code, or by 21 U.S.C. Section 801 et
  seq.;
               (4)  an offense involving the illegal transfer,
  appropriation, or use of school district funds or other district
  property; or
               (5)  an offense involving an attempt by fraudulent or
  unauthorized means to obtain or alter a professional certificate or
  license issued under Subchapter B, Chapter 21.
         (c)  An educator preparation program shall review the
  background check documentation provided under Subsection (a)(7)
  for the purposes of making a determination under Subsection (b).
         Sec. 56.505.  CONTINUING STUDENT ELIGIBILITY AND ACADEMIC
  PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS. (a) After initially qualifying for a
  scholarship under this subchapter, a person may continue to receive
  a scholarship under the scholarship program during each semester or
  term in which the person is enrolled at an eligible institution only
  if the person:
               (1)  demonstrates a continued commitment to pursuing a
  career as a classroom teacher:
                     (A)  in a teaching field identified by the
  commissioner of education as experiencing a critical shortage of
  teachers in this state; or
                     (B)  in a public school in this state in which a
  majority of students enrolled are educationally disadvantaged;
               (2)  remains enrolled full-time in an eligible
  institution;
               (3)  remains enrolled in or is on track to be admitted
  to an eligible educator preparation program, as verified by the
  eligible institution in which the person is enrolled;
               (4)  makes satisfactory academic progress toward
  completion of a baccalaureate or master's degree and approval to
  take a teacher certification exam, as verified by the eligible
  institution; and
               (5)  complies with any other academic or nonacademic
  requirements adopted by the coordinating board under this
  subchapter.
         (b)  A person is not eligible to continue to receive a
  scholarship under the scholarship program if the person has been
  convicted of a felony or misdemeanor offense described by Section
  56.504(b).
         (c)  If a person fails to meet any of the requirements of
  Subsection (a) after the completion of any semester or term, the
  person may not receive a scholarship under this subchapter during
  the next semester or term in which the person enrolls. A person may
  become eligible to receive a scholarship under this subchapter in a
  subsequent semester or term if the person:
               (1)  completes a semester or term during which the
  person is not eligible for a scholarship; and
               (2)  meets all the requirements of Subsection (a).
         (d)  For the purpose of this section, a person makes
  satisfactory academic progress toward a baccalaureate or master's
  degree only if:
               (1)  in the person's first academic year the person
  meets the satisfactory academic progress requirements of the
  eligible institution in which the person is enrolled; and
               (2)  in a subsequent academic year, the person:
                     (A)  completes at least 75 percent of the semester
  credit hours attempted in the person's most recent academic year;
  and
                     (B)  has earned an overall grade point average of
  at least 3.0 on a four-point scale or the equivalent on coursework
  previously attempted at an eligible institution.
         (e)  A person who is eligible to receive a scholarship under
  this subchapter continues to remain eligible to receive the
  scholarship if the person enrolls in or transfers to an eligible
  educator preparation program at another eligible institution.
         (f)  The coordinating board shall adopt rules to allow a
  person who is otherwise eligible to receive a scholarship under
  this subchapter, in the event of a hardship or for other good cause
  shown, including a showing of a severe illness or other
  debilitating condition that may affect the person's academic
  performance or that the person is responsible for the care of a
  sick, injured, or needy person and that the person's provision of
  care may affect the person's academic performance, to receive a
  scholarship under this subchapter:
               (1)  while enrolled in a number of semester credit
  hours that is less than the number required to be enrolled
  full-time; or
               (2)  if the person's grade point average or completion
  rate falls below the satisfactory academic progress requirements of
  Subsection (d).
         (g)  A person's eligibility for a scholarship under this
  subchapter ends on the earlier of:
               (1)  the fourth anniversary of the initial award of a
  scholarship under this subchapter to the person and the person's
  enrollment in an eligible institution; or
               (2)  the person's completion of the baccalaureate or
  master's degree program described by Section 56.504(a)(3).
         Sec. 56.506.  SCHOLARSHIP AMOUNT. (a) Beginning with the
  2024-2025 academic year, the amount of a scholarship under this
  subchapter is equal to the amount of the scholarship for the
  preceding academic year, adjusted for inflation using the college
  tuition and fees index component of the consumer price index
  produced by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics.
         (a-1)  For the 2023-2024 academic year, the amount of a
  scholarship under this subchapter is $12,000. This subsection
  expires September 1, 2024.
         (b)  The amount of a scholarship under this subchapter may
  not be reduced by any other scholarship, grant, or financial aid
  which the scholarship recipient receives.
         (c)  Not later than January 31 of each year, the coordinating
  board shall publish the amounts of each scholarship established by
  the board for the academic year beginning the next fall semester.
         Sec. 56.507.  SCHOLARSHIP USE. A person receiving a
  scholarship under this subchapter may use the money to pay any usual
  and customary cost of attendance at an eligible institution
  incurred by the person. The institution may disburse all or part of
  the proceeds of a scholarship under this subchapter to an eligible
  person only if the tuition and required fees incurred by the person
  at the institution have been paid.
         Sec. 56.508.  ADMINISTRATION OF PROGRAM. (a) The
  coordinating board shall adopt any rules necessary to:
               (1)  establish eligibility criteria for educator
  preparation programs in accordance with Section 56.503 and for
  scholarship recipients in accordance with Sections 56.504 and
  56.505;
               (2)  establish procedures for the application process
  and for selecting scholarship recipients from among eligible
  applicants; and
               (3)  administer the scholarship program.
         (b)  In establishing criteria for eligible educator
  preparation programs under Section 56.503, the coordinating board
  shall consult with the State Board for Educator Certification. The
  coordinating board shall consider the standards used by the State
  Board for Educator Certification in identifying effective,
  high-quality educator preparation programs grounded in
  evidence-based best practices and, to the maximum extent possible,
  align the eligibility criteria to those standards.
         (c)  In establishing criteria for eligible persons under
  Sections 56.504 and 56.505, the coordinating board shall consult
  with representatives of the educator preparation programs from
  eligible institutions.
         (d)  In developing rules related to distributing a
  scholarship, the coordinating board shall consult with financial
  aid coordinators of eligible institutions.
         (e)  The total amount of scholarships awarded may not exceed
  the amount available for the program from appropriations, gifts,
  grants, or other funds.
         (f)  From money appropriated by the legislature for the
  purposes of this subchapter, the coordinating board annually shall
  determine the allocation of money available for scholarships among
  eligible institutions and shall distribute the money accordingly.
         (g)  In determining who should receive a scholarship under
  this subchapter, the coordinating board shall give priority to
  awarding scholarships to:
               (1)  persons who demonstrate the greatest financial
  need and whose expected family contribution, as determined
  according to the methodology used for federal student financial
  aid, does not exceed 60 percent of the average statewide amount of
  tuition and required fees;
               (2)  first-generation college students, as defined by
  coordinating board rule; and
               (3)  persons who demonstrate a commitment both to
  entering a teaching field identified by the commissioner of
  education as experiencing a critical shortage of teachers and to
  teaching in a public school in this state in which a majority of
  students enrolled are educationally disadvantaged.
         SECTION 2.  Section 56.308(b), Education Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         (b)  Each school district shall:
               (1)  notify its middle school students, junior high
  school students, and high school students, those students' teachers
  and school counselors, and those students' parents of the TEXAS
  grant, [and] Teach for Texas grant, and Future Texas Teachers
  Scholarship programs, the eligibility requirements of each
  program, the need for students to make informed curriculum choices
  to be prepared for success beyond high school, and sources of
  information on higher education admissions and financial aid in a
  manner that assists the district in implementing a strategy adopted
  by the district under Section 11.252(a)(4); and
               (2)  ensure that each student's official transcript or
  diploma indicates whether the student has completed or is on
  schedule to complete:
                     (A)  the recommended or advanced high school
  curriculum required for grant eligibility under Section 28.002 or
  28.025; or
                     (B)  for a school district covered by Section
  56.304(f)(1), the required portion of the recommended or advanced
  high school curriculum in the manner described by Section
  56.304(f)(2).
         SECTION 3.  (a)  The Texas Higher Education Coordinating
  Board shall adopt rules to administer Subchapter S, Chapter 56,
  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 scholarships under Subchapter S, Chapter 56,
  Education Code, as added by this Act, beginning with the 2023-2024
  academic year.
         SECTION 4.  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, 2023.
 
 
  ______________________________ ______________________________
     President of the Senate Speaker of the House     
 
 
         I certify that H.B. No. 4363 was passed by the House on May 2,
  2023, by the following vote:  Yeas 108, Nays 34, 1 present, not
  voting; and that the House concurred in Senate amendments to H.B.
  No. 4363 on May 25, 2023, by the following vote:  Yeas 119, Nays 19,
  2 present, not voting.
 
  ______________________________
  Chief Clerk of the House   
 
         I certify that H.B. No. 4363 was passed by the Senate, with
  amendments, on May 21, 2023, by the following vote:  Yeas 25, Nays
  6.
 
  ______________________________
  Secretary of the Senate   
  APPROVED: __________________
                  Date       
   
           __________________
                Governor