1-1 By: Truan S.B. No. 158 1-2 (In the Senate - Filed December 7, 2000; January 11, 2001, 1-3 read first time and referred to Committee on Education; 1-4 February 19, 2001, reported adversely, with favorable Committee 1-5 Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 9, Nays 0; 1-6 February 19, 2001, sent to printer.) 1-7 COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 158 By: Truan 1-8 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-9 AN ACT 1-10 relating to counseling public school students regarding higher 1-11 education. 1-12 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-13 SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 33, Education Code, is 1-14 amended by adding Section 33.007 to read as follows: 1-15 Sec. 33.007. COUNSELING REGARDING HIGHER EDUCATION. 1-16 (a) Each counselor at an elementary, middle, or junior high 1-17 school, including an open-enrollment charter school offering those 1-18 grades, shall advise students and their parents or guardians 1-19 regarding the importance of higher education, coursework designed 1-20 to prepare students for higher education, and financial aid 1-21 availability and requirements. 1-22 (b) During the first school year a student is enrolled in a 1-23 high school or at the high school level in an open-enrollment 1-24 charter school, and again during a student's senior year, a 1-25 counselor shall provide information about higher education to the 1-26 student and the student's parent or guardian. The information must 1-27 include information regarding: 1-28 (1) the importance of higher education; 1-29 (2) the advantages of completing the recommended or 1-30 advanced high school program adopted under Section 28.025(a); 1-31 (3) financial aid eligibility; 1-32 (4) instruction on how to apply for federal financial 1-33 aid; 1-34 (5) the center for financial aid information 1-35 established under Section 61.0776; 1-36 (6) the automatic admission of certain students to 1-37 general academic teaching institutions as provided by Section 1-38 51.803; and 1-39 (7) the eligibility and academic performance 1-40 requirements for the TEXAS Grant as provided by Subchapter M, 1-41 Chapter 56, as added by Chapter 1590, Acts of the 76th Legislature, 1-42 Regular Session, 1999. 1-43 SECTION 2. Section 33.001, Education Code, is amended to 1-44 read as follows: 1-45 Sec. 33.001. APPLICABILITY OF SUBCHAPTER. This subchapter 1-46 applies only to a school district that receives funds as provided 1-47 by Section 42.152(i), except that Section 33.007 applies to all 1-48 school districts and open-enrollment charter schools. 1-49 SECTION 3. Section 33.007, Education Code, as added by this 1-50 Act, applies beginning with the 2001-2002 school year. The 1-51 commissioner of education shall adopt rules regarding the provision 1-52 of counseling regarding higher education as required by Subsection 1-53 (b), Section 33.007, Education Code, as added by this Act, to high 1-54 school students or open-enrollment charter school students other 1-55 than those for whom the 2001-2002 school year is the first or 1-56 senior year of high school. 1-57 SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives 1-58 a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as 1-59 provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this 1-60 Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this 1-61 Act takes effect September 1, 2001. 1-62 * * * * *