By:  Barrientos                                        S.B. No. 809
         99S0130/1                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
                                       AN ACT
 1-1     relating to the establishment and use of the educationally or
 1-2     economically disadvantaged student recruitment and retention fund;
 1-3     making an appropriation.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Chapter 51, Education Code, is amended by adding
 1-6     Subchapter T to read as follows:
 1-7         SUBCHAPTER T.  EDUCATIONALLY OR ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED
 1-8                   STUDENT RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION FUND
 1-9           Sec. 51.851.  DEFINITIONS.  In this subchapter:
1-10                 (1)  "Educationally or economically disadvantaged
1-11     student" means a student who is eligible for admission to a general
1-12     academic teaching institution, as defined by Section 61.003, based
1-13     on the factors listed in Section 51.805(b).
1-14                 (2)  "Fund" means the educationally or economically
1-15     disadvantaged student recruitment and retention fund created under
1-16     this subchapter.
1-17                 (3)  "Institution of higher education" means an
1-18     institution of higher education as defined by Section 61.003.
1-19           Sec. 51.852.  FUND. (a)  The educationally or economically
1-20     disadvantaged student recruitment and retention fund is an account
1-21     in the general revenue fund.
1-22           (b)  The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall
1-23     administer the fund.
1-24           Sec. 51.853.  USE OF FUND.  The Texas Higher Education
 2-1     Coordinating Board shall allocate money in the fund to institutions
 2-2     of higher education for the establishment of recruitment and
 2-3     retention programs specified by the coordinating board.  Such
 2-4     programs shall focus on the recruitment and retention of
 2-5     educationally or economically disadvantaged students.
 2-6           SECTION 2.  (a)  The Texas Higher Education Coordinating
 2-7     Board shall conduct a best practices study of recruitment and
 2-8     retention programs currently operating at institutions of higher
 2-9     education in Texas and in other states and shall make its findings
2-10     and recommendations available in a report to the legislature and to
2-11     institutions of higher education.
2-12           (b)  The report shall include an analysis of the affect of
2-13     the programs studied under Subsection (a) of this section on
2-14     student enrollment and performance.
2-15           (c)  The report required by this section is due by
2-16     December 1, 2000.
2-17           SECTION 3.  The sum of $10 million is appropriated for the
2-18     two-year period beginning September 1, 1999, out of the General
2-19     Revenue Fund to the educationally or economically disadvantaged
2-20     student recruitment and retention fund created by Section 51.852,
2-21     Education Code, as added by this Act.
2-22           SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September  1, 1999.
2-23           SECTION 5.  The importance of this legislation and the
2-24     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-25     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-26     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
 3-1     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.