H.B. No. 2920

AN ACT

relating to the distribution, posting, or provision of information regarding postsecondary education and career opportunities and to the confidentiality of certain information relating to persons provided assistance in accessing postsecondary education.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 7.040(a), Education Code, is amended to read as follows:

(a) The agency shall prepare information comparing institutions of higher education in this state and post the information on the agency's Internet website. Information prepared under this section shall be made publicly available in a manner that is accessible [given] to any [a] public or private school student seeking [who requests] the information. The information shall:

(1) identify postsecondary education and career opportunities, including information that states the benefits of four-year and two-year higher education programs, postsecondary technical education, skilled workforce careers, and career education programs;

(2) assist prospective postsecondary students in assessing the value of a certificate program, associate or baccalaureate degree program, or other credential program offered by an institution of higher education by comparing [compare] each institution [of higher education] with other institutions using information included in the electronic tools or platforms developed by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board under Section 61.09022(a) [regarding:

[(A) the relative cost of tuition;

[(B) the retention rate of students;

[(C) the graduation rate of students;

[(D) the average student debt;

[(E) the loan repayment rate of students; and

[(F) the employment rate of students];

(3) identify the state's future workforce needs, as projected by the Texas Workforce Commission; [and]

(4) include annual starting wage information and educational requirements for the top 25 [10] highest demand jobs in this state, as identified by the Texas Workforce Commission;

(5) identify the 40 baccalaureate degree programs with the highest average annual wages following graduation; and

(6) identify the 20 associate degree or certificate programs with the highest average annual wages following graduation.

SECTION 2. Section 51.762(b-1), Education Code, is amended to read as follows:

(b-1) An electronic common admission application form adopted under this section must include a prominent link to the electronic tools or platforms developed by the board under Section 61.09022 [comparative gainful employment data regarding institutions of higher education, including information described by Section 7.040, on a website maintained by the board using data compiled by the board in coordination with the Texas Workforce Commission].

SECTION 3. Section 51.763(b), Education Code, is amended to read as follows:

(b) The form must:

(1) allow each applicant to:

(A) apply electronically to one or more of the general academic teaching institutions within the university system; and

(B) indicate preferences for admission between those institutions; and

(2) include a prominent link to the electronic tools or platforms developed by the board under Section 61.09022 [comparative gainful employment data regarding institutions of higher education, including information described by Section 7.040, on a website maintained by the board using data compiled by the board in coordination with the Texas Workforce Commission].

SECTION 4. The heading to Section 61.031, Education Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 61.031. PUBLIC [INTEREST] INFORMATION AND COMPLAINTS.

SECTION 5. Section 61.031, Education Code, is amended by adding Subsection (d) to read as follows:

(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, information that relates to a current, former, or prospective applicant or student of an educational institution and that is obtained, received, or held by the board for the purpose of providing assistance with access to postsecondary education is confidential and excepted from disclosure under Chapter 552, Government Code, and may only be released in conformity with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (20 U.S.C. Section 1232g). The board may withhold information prohibited from being disclosed under this subsection without requesting a decision from the attorney general under Subchapter G, Chapter 552, Government Code.

SECTION 6. Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding Section 61.09022 to read as follows:

Sec. 61.09022. INFORMATION TO ASSIST STUDENTS IN ASSESSING VALUE OF POSTSECONDARY CREDENTIALS. (a) From money appropriated or otherwise available for the purpose, the board shall develop one or more electronic tools or platforms to provide information to assist prospective postsecondary students in assessing the value of a certificate program, associate or baccalaureate degree program, or other credential program offered by an institution of higher education or private or independent institution of higher education by comparing each institution with other institutions regarding:

(1) the relative cost of obtaining the certificate, degree, or other credential, based on the most recent data available to the board from the Texas Workforce Commission, institutions of higher education, the federal government, or any other source from which the board may obtain reliable data, including:

(A) the cost for each of the following at the 25th percentile, the median, and the 75th percentile:

(i) total cost of attendance;

(ii) tuition and fees;

(iii) room and board;

(iv) books and supplies;

(v) transportation; and

(vi) other costs; and

(B) the estimated net cost remaining after subtracting from the amount described by Paragraph (A) the average amount of scholarship and grant aid awarded to the typical student for the program;

(2) the value of the certificate, degree, or other credential as measured by comparing:

(A) the median wage earned by students who graduated with the certificate, degree, or other credential from the institution; and

(B) the median student debt of students who graduated with the certificate, degree, or other credential from the institution as compared to the median student debt of all students who graduated with the certificate, degree, or other credential, based on the most recent data available to the board from the Texas Workforce Commission, institutions of higher education, the federal government, or any other source from which the board may obtain reliable data;

(3) the average student debt-to-income ratio of students who graduated with the certificate, degree, or other credential from the institution and have student debt, including the estimated monthly student loan payment, computed using the standard 10-year repayment plan;

(4) progress on repaying student loans by students who graduated with the certificate, degree, or other credential from the institution; and

(5) educational outcomes for students seeking the certificate, degree, or other credential, including:

(A) for a program designed to be completed in more than one year, the percentage of students who continue in the program after the first year of study;

(B) the completion rate;

(C) the percentage of students who withdraw or transfer from the institution and subsequently graduate with the certificate, degree, or other credential from another institution of higher education or private or independent institution of higher education;

(D) the percentage of students who withdraw from the institution and do not enroll in the program at another institution of higher education or private or independent institution of higher education within three years of the withdrawal; and

(E) the percentage of graduates employed in the top five industries in this state, as identified by the Texas Workforce Commission, by certificate program, degree program, or other credential program within one year of graduation.

(c) The board may solicit and accept gifts, grants, and donations from any public or private source to implement this section.

(d) The board shall adopt rules as necessary to implement this section.

SECTION 7. Section 7.040(c), Education Code, is transferred to Section 61.09022, Education Code, as added by this Act, redesignated as Section 61.09022(b), Education Code, and amended to read as follows:

(b) [(c)] Each institution of higher education shall include on its Internet website, in a prominent location that is not more than three hyperlinks from the website's home page, a link to the electronic tools or platforms developed by the board [information posted on the agency's Internet website] under Subsection (a).

SECTION 8. Section 2308A.007, Government Code, is amended by adding Subsection (a-1) to read as follows:

(a-1) A credential library established under this section must include the information included in the electronic tools or platforms developed by the coordinating board under Section 61.09022(a), Education Code.

SECTION 9. 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. 2920 was passed by the House on April 28, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 138, Nays 6, 2 present, not voting; and that the House concurred in Senate amendments to H.B. No. 2920 on May 24, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 144, Nays 0, 1 present, not voting.

______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House

I certify that H.B. No. 2920 was passed by the Senate, with amendments, on May 19, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.

______________________________ Secretary of the Senate APPROVED: __________________

Date

__________________

Governor