Enrolled Bill Summary

            House Bill 1985 amends Education Code provisions relating to the regulation of proprietary schools. The bill increases the maximum amount of a bond required of a proprietary school for the period covered by its certificate of approval from $25,000 to $35,000 for a school that is approved during the fiscal year ending August 31, 2002, and to $50,000 for a school that is approved on or after September 1, 2002; increases the amount that may be paid from the proprietary school tuition protection fund to cover student refunds when a school's bond is inadequate from $25,000 to $50,000; increases the fee charged by the commission for an investigation at a proprietary school to resolve a complaint filed against the school from $400 to $600; and authorizes the commission to charge each school a fee that covers the cost of a service that collects, analyzes, and reports student-level data necessary to assess proprietary school student outcomes.

            House Bill 1985 authorizes the Texas Workforce Commission to examine the premises of a proprietary school as frequently as it considers necessary and to revoke or deny renewal of a school's certificate of approval, and it prohibits a person from soliciting prospective students for or on behalf of a proprietary school without being registered as a representative of the school. The bill also updates provisions relating to the definition of "owner" and to the refunding of tuition and fees to a student who withdraws.