Bill Text: TX HB4450 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to the establishment of an adult high school pilot program for certain inmates and defendants in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-03-21 - Referred to Corrections [HB4450 Detail]
Download: Texas-2023-HB4450-Introduced.html
| By: A. Johnson of Harris | H.B. No. 4450 | |
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| relating to the establishment of an adult high school pilot program | ||
| for certain inmates and defendants in the Texas Department of | ||
| Criminal Justice. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Subtitle G, Chapter 493, Government Code is | ||
| amended by adding Section 493.035 to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 493.035. ADULT HIGH SCHOOL PILOT PROGRAM. (a) The | ||
| department shall establish a pilot program under which one or more | ||
| nonprofit entities provide an adult education program under | ||
| Subchapter G, Chapter 12, Education Code, to enable inmates | ||
| described by Subsection (b) to successfully complete a high school | ||
| program that can lead to a diploma. | ||
| (b) An inmate who is at least 26 years of age and not more | ||
| than 50 years of age is eligible to enroll in an adult high school | ||
| program operated under the pilot program if: | ||
| (1) the inmate: | ||
| (A) has failed to complete the curriculum | ||
| requirements for high school graduation; or | ||
| (B) has failed to perform satisfactorily on an | ||
| assessment instrument required for high school graduation; and | ||
| (2) the department approves the inmate's enrollment in | ||
| the program after: | ||
| (A) assessing the inmate's suitability for | ||
| participation in the program using the results of the risk and needs | ||
| assessment instrument adopted under Section 501.0921; and | ||
| (B) evaluating the inmate's conduct while in the | ||
| custody of the department. | ||
| (c) In admitting inmates to an adult high school education | ||
| program operated under the pilot program, the nonprofit entity | ||
| shall give priority to an inmate who has not earned a high school | ||
| equivalency certificate. | ||
| (d) The department shall issue a request for proposals from | ||
| nonprofit entities described by Section 12.256, Education Code, to | ||
| provide an adult high school education program under the pilot | ||
| program. The department shall require that each applicant identify | ||
| each region of this state in which the applicant is able to operate | ||
| an adult high school education program under this pilot program. | ||
| (e) The department shall contract with at least one | ||
| qualified applicant to operate an adult high school education | ||
| program under the pilot program. | ||
| (f) The department, in consultation with each nonprofit | ||
| entity that the department contracts with under this section, shall | ||
| identify at least three and not more than five facilities operated | ||
| by the department that are suitable to serve as sites for the pilot | ||
| program. | ||
| SECTION 2. Not later than December 31, 2023, the Texas | ||
| Department of Criminal Justice shall issue the request for | ||
| proposals required by Section 493.035(d), Government Code, as added | ||
| by this Act. Not later than September 1, 2024, the Texas Department | ||
| of Criminal Justice shall ensure that at least one adult high school | ||
| education program required by Section 493.035, Government Code, as | ||
| added by this Act, be in operation in a facility operated by the | ||
| department. | ||
| 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, 2023. | ||
