| |
| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to a student mental health apprenticeship retention and |
|
|
training (SMART) internship grant program. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding |
|
|
Subchapter RR to read as follows: |
|
|
SUBCHAPTER RR. STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH APPRENTICESHIP RETENTION AND |
|
|
TRAINING (SMART) INTERNSHIP GRANT PROGRAM |
|
|
Sec. 61.9991. DEFINITION. In this subchapter, "program" |
|
|
means the student mental health apprenticeship retention and |
|
|
training (SMART) internship grant program. |
|
|
Sec. 61.9992. ESTABLISHMENT AND ADMINISTRATION OF PROGRAM. |
|
|
The board shall establish and administer a student mental health |
|
|
apprenticeship retention and training (SMART) internship grant |
|
|
program to provide grants to: |
|
|
(1) assist persons in obtaining certification or |
|
|
licensure necessary for employment as certain school mental health |
|
|
professionals; and |
|
|
(2) facilitate the employment of those persons by a |
|
|
public elementary or secondary school in this state. |
|
|
Sec. 61.9993. INTERNSHIP GRANTS. To be eligible to receive |
|
|
an internship grant under the program, a person must: |
|
|
(1) apply to the board in the form and manner |
|
|
prescribed by board rule; |
|
|
(2) be enrolled at an institution of higher education |
|
|
in a degree or certificate program leading to: |
|
|
(A) certification as a school counselor under |
|
|
Subchapter B, Chapter 21; |
|
|
(B) a license in school psychology under Section |
|
|
501.260, Occupations Code; or |
|
|
(C) a social worker license under Chapter 505, |
|
|
Occupations Code; |
|
|
(3) be accepted into an internship program for school |
|
|
counseling, school psychology, or social work, as applicable, at a |
|
|
public primary or secondary school in this state at which at least |
|
|
50 percent of enrolled students are educationally disadvantaged, as |
|
|
defined by Section 5.001; |
|
|
(4) enter into an agreement with the board as provided |
|
|
by Section 61.9994; and |
|
|
(5) satisfy any other criteria prescribed by the |
|
|
board. |
|
|
Sec. 61.9994. AGREEMENT FOR INTERNSHIP PARTICIPANTS. To |
|
|
qualify for an internship grant under the program, a person must |
|
|
enter into a written agreement with the board as provided by this |
|
|
section. The agreement must require the person to: |
|
|
(1) obtain, within the period prescribed by board |
|
|
rule, certification or licensure described by Section 61.9993(2), |
|
|
as applicable; |
|
|
(2) accept, during the first school year that begins |
|
|
after the date the person becomes certified or licensed as provided |
|
|
by Subdivision (1), an offer of full-time employment in the |
|
|
applicable profession in a public elementary or secondary school in |
|
|
this state; and |
|
|
(3) be employed in the applicable profession at a |
|
|
public elementary or secondary school in this state for at least |
|
|
three school years. |
|
|
Sec. 61.9995. INTERNSHIP GRANT AWARDS. (a) The board shall |
|
|
award an internship grant to each eligible person in an amount equal |
|
|
to $25 per hour for each hour spent interning in an internship |
|
|
program described by Section 61.9993(3), not to exceed a total of |
|
|
$15,000. |
|
|
(b) The board may award to a person receiving an internship |
|
|
grant under the program an additional grant for student loan |
|
|
repayment assistance if the board determines that extenuating |
|
|
circumstances justify the assistance. |
|
|
Sec. 61.9996. REIMBURSEMENT; EXCEPTIONS. (a) An |
|
|
internship grant program participant who fails to meet the |
|
|
requirements of Section 61.9994 shall reimburse the board for the |
|
|
amount of any grants received by the participant under the program. |
|
|
(b) The board by rule shall establish exceptions to the |
|
|
reimbursement requirement under this section for participants who |
|
|
are unable to meet the requirements of Section 61.9994 as a result |
|
|
of an unusual hardship. |
|
|
Sec. 61.9997. SUPERVISOR GRANTS. The board shall award a |
|
|
grant to each person who supervises an internship grant program |
|
|
participant in an internship program described by Section |
|
|
61.9993(3) in an amount equal to $250 per participant supervised. |
|
|
Sec. 61.9998. REPORT. Not later than September 1 of each |
|
|
even-numbered year, the board shall submit to the legislature a |
|
|
report on the program. The report must include an analysis of the |
|
|
effectiveness of the program and any recommendations for |
|
|
legislative or other action. |
|
|
Sec. 61.9999. RULES. The board shall adopt rules necessary |
|
|
for the administration of this subchapter. |
|
|
SECTION 2. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board |
|
|
shall adopt rules for the administration of Subchapter RR, Chapter |
|
|
61, Education Code, as added by this Act, as soon as practicable |
|
|
after this Act takes effect. |
|
|
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. |