Bill Text: TX HB5112 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Introduced


Bill Title: Relating to the establishment of an education savings account program.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-03-24 - Referred to Public Education [HB5112 Detail]

Download: Texas-2023-HB5112-Introduced.html
  88R10956 KJE-F
 
  By: Schatzline H.B. No. 5112
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to the establishment of an education savings account
  program.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Chapter 29, Education Code, is amended by adding
  Subchapter J to read as follows:
  SUBCHAPTER J. EDUCATION SAVINGS ACCOUNT PROGRAM
         Sec. 29.351.  DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
               (1)  "Account" means an education savings account
  established under the program.
               (2)  "Child with a disability" means a child who is
  eligible to participate in a school district's special education
  program under Section 29.003.
               (3)  "Curriculum" means a complete course of study for
  a particular content area or grade level.
               (4)  "Financial institution" means a bank, credit
  union, savings bank, or savings and loan association organized
  under the laws of this state, another state, or federal law that has
  its main office or a branch office in this state. The term does not
  include any institution the deposits of which are not insured by the
  Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or the National Credit Union
  Administration.
               (5)  "Parent" means a resident of this state who is a
  natural or adoptive parent, managing or possessory conservator,
  legal guardian, custodian, or other person with legal authority to
  act on behalf of a child.
               (6)  "Postsecondary educational institution" means:
                     (A)  an institution of higher education or a
  private or independent institution of higher education as defined
  by Section 61.003; or
                     (B)  a career school or college as defined by
  Section 132.001.
               (7)  "Program" means the education savings account
  program established under this subchapter.
               (8)  "Program participant" means a child and a parent
  of a child who has been accepted into the program.
         Sec. 29.352.  ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM. (a) The
  commissioner shall establish and administer an education savings
  account program to provide funding for certain education-related
  expenses of eligible children.
         (b)  The agency may contract with a private organization to
  administer the program.
         Sec. 29.353.  ELIGIBLE CHILD. (a) A child is eligible to
  participate in the program if the child is eligible to attend a
  public school under Section 25.001.
         (b)  A child who establishes eligibility under this section
  may continue participating in the program until the earliest of the
  following dates:
               (1)  the date on which the child graduates from high
  school;
               (2)  the date on which the child is no longer eligible
  to attend a public school under Section 25.001;
               (3)  the date on which the child enrolls in a public
  school, including an open-enrollment charter school; or
               (4)  the date on which the child is declared ineligible
  for the program by the commissioner under this subchapter.
         (c)  Notwithstanding Subsection (b), the agency shall
  establish procedures for, in the least disruptive manner possible:
               (1)  a child participating in the program to cease
  participation and enroll in a public school, including an
  open-enrollment charter school; and
               (2)  a child who previously participated in the program
  and subsequently enrolled in a public school, including an
  open-enrollment charter school, to resume participation in the
  program.
         Sec. 29.354.  APPLICATION FOR PROGRAM. (a) A parent of an
  eligible child may apply on behalf of the child for participation in
  the program. The agency shall allow for the submission of
  applications on a rolling basis.
         (b)  The agency shall by rule create an application form for
  the program and make the application form readily available to
  interested parents through various sources, including the agency's
  Internet website.
         (c)  The agency shall provide to each applicant a publication
  that describes the operation of the program, including:
               (1)  expenses allowed under the program under Section
  29.356;
               (2)  a description of the responsibilities of program
  participants and the duties of the agency under this subchapter;
  and
               (3)  a statement regarding the rights afforded to a
  child with a disability who is parentally placed in a private school
  under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C.
  Section 1400 et seq.).
         Sec. 29.355.  PARTICIPATION IN PROGRAM. (a) To receive
  funding under the program, a parent of an eligible child must agree
  in writing to:
               (1)  ensure that the student will receive an education
  that includes, at a minimum, the subjects of reading, language,
  mathematics, social studies, and science;
               (2)  spend funds received through the program only for
  expenses allowed under Section 29.356;
               (3)  notify the agency as soon as practicable if the
  child enrolls in a public school, including an open-enrollment
  charter school; and
               (4)  inform the agency if the child graduates from high
  school.
         (b)  The agency shall provide annually to each program
  participant the publication provided to applicants under Section
  29.354.
         Sec. 29.356.  APPROVED PROVIDERS AND EDUCATION-RELATED
  EXPENSES. (a)  The commissioner shall by rule establish a process
  for the preapproval of education service providers and vendors of
  educational products for participation in the program. The
  commissioner shall make the list of preapproved providers and
  vendors readily available to applicants for the program and to
  program participants.
         (b)  A payment from an account may be made only to a
  preapproved education service provider or vendor of educational
  products.
         (c)  Funds received under the program may be used only for
  the following expenses incurred by a program participant:
               (1)  tuition and fees at a private school or
  postsecondary educational institution or for a nonpublic online
  educational course or program;
               (2)  the purchase of textbooks or other instructional
  materials;
               (3)  payments for the purchase of a curriculum;
               (4)  fees for services provided by a private tutor or
  teaching service;
               (5)  for a child with a disability, fees for
  educational therapies or services provided by a practitioner,
  provider, paraprofessional, or educational aide;
               (6)  computer hardware and software and other
  technological devices primarily used for educational purposes;
               (7)  fees for a nationally norm-referenced achievement
  test or examination, an advanced placement test or similar
  examination, or any examination related to college or university
  admission and a preparatory course for such a test or examination;
               (8)  services provided by a public school, including an
  open-enrollment charter school, in a manner in which the child is
  not counted toward the school's average daily attendance;
               (9)  uniforms required by a school or institution
  described by Subdivision (1) in which the child is enrolled;
               (10)  tuition and fees for a summer education program
  or specialized after-school education program;
               (11)  fees for transportation provided by a
  fee-for-service transportation provider for the child to travel to
  and from a preapproved education service provider or vendor of
  educational products; and
               (12)  any other expense approved by the agency.
         (d)  Any funds remaining in a program participant's account
  on the child's graduation from high school may be used by the child
  for tuition, fees, textbooks, and other instructional materials to
  attend or take courses from a postsecondary educational
  institution.
         Sec. 29.357.  AMOUNT OF PAYMENT; FINANCING. (a) A child
  participating in the program is entitled to receive annual funding
  from the Foundation School Program equal to the state and local
  maintenance and operations revenue to which the school district the
  child would otherwise attend would be entitled to receive for the
  child under Chapter 48 if the child were enrolled in the district.
         (b)  The parent of a child participating in the program may
  make payments for the expenses of educational programs, services,
  and products not covered by funds in the child's account.
         (c)  A payment under the program may not be financed using
  money appropriated from the available school fund.
         Sec. 29.358.  ADMINISTRATION OF ACCOUNTS. (a) The agency
  shall contract with a financial institution to establish and manage
  an account for each child participating in the program. A program
  participant must be able to access the participant's account by
  using an online payment service.
         (b)  The commissioner shall make quarterly payments to each
  program participant's account in equal amounts on or before dates
  established by commissioner rule.
         (c)  The commissioner may deduct an amount from each
  quarterly payment to a program participant's account to cover the
  agency's cost of administering the program. The amount deducted
  may not exceed three percent of the payment.
         (d)  A child's account is closed and any remaining funds are
  returned to the state on the earliest of the following dates:
               (1)  the date on which the child graduates from a
  baccalaureate degree program at a postsecondary educational
  institution;
               (2)  the child's 26th birthday; or
               (3)  if the child has not enrolled in a postsecondary
  educational institution within the four-year period following the
  child's graduation from high school, the fourth anniversary of the
  date on which the child graduates from high school.
         Sec. 29.359.  AUDITING OF ACCOUNT. (a) The agency shall
  audit or contract with a private entity to audit accounts as
  necessary to ensure compliance with applicable law and the
  requirements of the program. At a minimum, the agency shall provide
  for an annual random audit of a specified number of accounts
  determined by the commissioner.
         (b)  In auditing an account, the agency or private entity
  with which the agency contracts under Subsection (a) may require
  that a program participant provide further information and
  documentation regarding any payment from the participant's
  account.
         Sec. 29.360.  SUSPENSION OF ACCOUNT. (a) The commissioner
  by rule shall adopt procedures for the suspension and closure of an
  account on a finding that a program participant has failed to comply
  with applicable law or a requirement of the program or has
  substantially misused funds received under the program.
         (b)  The procedures must allow for:
               (1)  a program participant to be declared ineligible to
  participate in the program on a finding of intentional misconduct;
  and
               (2)  an appeal to the commissioner of a finding under
  Subdivision (1).
         Sec. 29.361.  REFUND PROHIBITED. An education service
  provider or a vendor of educational products receiving funds
  distributed under the program may not in any manner rebate, refund,
  or credit to or share with a program participant, or any person on
  behalf of a participant, any program funds paid or owed by the
  participant to the provider or vendor.
         Sec. 29.362.  REFERRAL TO THE ATTORNEY GENERAL. (a) If the
  agency obtains evidence of fraudulent use of an account, the
  commissioner may refer the case to the attorney general for
  investigation.
         (b)  With the consent of the appropriate local county or
  district attorney, the attorney general has concurrent
  jurisdiction with the consenting local prosecutor to prosecute an
  offense referred to the attorney general under Subsection (a).
         Sec. 29.363.  EDUCATION SERVICE PROVIDER AND VENDOR
  ACCOUNTABILITY. (a) The agency may declare an education service
  provider or a vendor of educational products ineligible to
  participate in the program if, after notice and hearing, the agency
  finds that the provider or vendor has:
               (1)  failed to comply with applicable law or the
  requirements of the program; or
               (2)  failed to provide a child participating in the
  program with promised educational services or products.
         (b)  An education service provider or vendor of educational
  products may appeal to the commissioner a finding under Subsection
  (a).
         (c)  If an education service provider or vendor of
  educational products is declared ineligible to participate in the
  program under this section, the agency shall:
               (1)  notify program participants of the declaration as
  soon as practicable; and
               (2)  reject any account expenditure made to the
  education service provider or vendor of educational products after
  the date of the declaration.
         Sec. 29.364.  EDUCATION SERVICE PROVIDER AND VENDOR
  AUTONOMY. (a) An education service provider or vendor of
  educational products that receives funds distributed under the
  program is not an agent of the state or federal government.
         (b)  The program does not expand the regulatory authority of
  the state or any school district to impose any additional
  regulation on an education service provider or vendor of
  educational products except those reasonably necessary to enforce
  the program as provided by this subchapter.
         (c)  An education service provider or vendor of educational
  products may not be required to modify the provider's or vendor's
  creed, practices, admissions policies, or curriculum, as
  applicable, to receive money distributed under the program.
         (d)  In any proceeding challenging a rule adopted by a state
  agency or officer under this subchapter, the agency or officer has
  the burden of proof to establish that the rule:
               (1)  is necessary to implement or enforce the program
  as provided by this subchapter; and
               (2)  does not impose an undue burden on a program
  participant or an education service provider or vendor of
  educational products that receives or seeks to receive money
  distributed under the program.
         Sec. 29.365.  STUDENT RECORDS AND INFORMATION. On request
  by the parent of a child participating in the program, the school
  district or open-enrollment charter school that the child would
  otherwise attend shall provide a copy of the child's school records
  possessed by the district or school, if any, to the child's parent
  or, if applicable, the private school the child attends.
         Sec. 29.366.  PARENT REVIEW COMMITTEE. (a) A parent review
  committee is established to assist the commissioner in:
               (1)  determining whether certain expenses are allowed
  under Section 29.356;
               (2)  reviewing an appeal of the agency's decision to
  declare an education service provider or vendor of educational
  products ineligible to participate in the program under Section
  29.363; and
               (3)  implementing and administering the program.
         (b)  The committee consists of seven members appointed by the
  commissioner.  Each member must be a parent of a child participating
  in the program.  In making appointments to the committee, the
  commissioner shall ensure that parents from at least four counties
  are included.
         (c)  A member of the committee serves a one-year term at the
  pleasure of the commissioner and may be reappointed.
         (d)  The commissioner or the commissioner's designee is the
  nonvoting chair of the committee.
         Sec. 29.367.  GIFTS, GRANTS, AND DONATIONS. The
  commissioner may solicit and accept gifts, grants, and donations
  from any public or private source for the program.
         Sec. 29.368.  RIGHT TO INTERVENE IN CIVIL ACTION. (a) A
  program participant may intervene in any civil action challenging
  the constitutionality of the program.
         (b)  A court in which a civil action described by Subsection
  (a) is filed may require that all program participants wishing to
  intervene in the action file a joint brief. A program participant
  may not be required to join a brief filed on behalf of the state or a
  state agency.
         Sec. 29.369.  RULES. The commissioner shall adopt rules as
  necessary to implement this subchapter.  The rules may include:
               (1)  establishing a telephonic or online anonymous
  fraud reporting service;
               (2)  requiring a surety bond from an education service
  provider or vendor of educational products that receives more than
  $100,000 per year from funds distributed under the program; or
               (3)  providing for an education service provider or
  vendor of educational products to refund to a program participant's
  account payments made from that account.
         SECTION 2.  This Act applies beginning with the 2023-2024
  school year.
         SECTION 3.  Not later than 90 days after the effective date
  of this Act, the commissioner of education shall adopt rules
  necessary to implement the education savings account program under
  Subchapter J, Chapter 29, Education Code, as added by this Act.
         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.
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