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                                  * * * * *