Enrolled Bill Summary

            House Bill 3590 amends the Education Code to establish the Texas Fund for Geography Education. The bill allows the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to enter into an agreement with the National Geographic Society to operate an endowment fund to support geography education programs at Texas colleges and universities and improve the quality of geography education in the state. The bill stipulates several provisions that must be included in the agreement regarding the deposit, use, and disposition of appropriated money and matching funds in the fund. It allows the board to transfer any amount appropriated for such purposes to the society for deposit to the fund, from which the society must award appropriate grants to public, private, or independent colleges and universities in Texas. The bill requires the coordinating board to appoint a seven-member advisory committee to solicit proposals from colleges and universities and assist the society in awarding those grants.