By Bivins, et al. S.B. No. 940 77R7179 KEL-D A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to the establishment of the Joint Admission Medical 1-3 Program to assist certain economically disadvantaged students in 1-4 preparing for and succeeding in medical school. 1-5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-6 SECTION 1. Chapter 51, Education Code, is amended by adding 1-7 Subchapter V to read as follows: 1-8 SUBCHAPTER V. JOINT ADMISSION MEDICAL PROGRAM 1-9 Sec. 51.821. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter: 1-10 (1) "Council" means the Joint Admission Medical 1-11 Program Council established under this subchapter. 1-12 (2) "General academic teaching institution" has the 1-13 meaning assigned by Section 61.003. 1-14 (3) "Participating medical school" means the medical 1-15 school at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 1-16 the medical school at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical 1-17 Center at Dallas, the medical school at The University of Texas 1-18 Health Science Center at San Antonio, the medical school at The 1-19 University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, the medical school 1-20 at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, the Baylor College 1-21 of Medicine, the college of osteopathic medicine at the University 1-22 of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, or the medical 1-23 school at The Texas A&M University System Health Science Center. 1-24 (4) "Participating student" means a high school 2-1 graduate who is admitted to the program and maintains eligibility 2-2 for continued participation in the program. 2-3 (5) "Program" means the Joint Admission Medical 2-4 Program established under this subchapter. 2-5 Sec. 51.822. JOINT ADMISSION MEDICAL PROGRAM. The Joint 2-6 Admission Medical Program is a program administered by the Joint 2-7 Admission Medical Program Council to: 2-8 (1) provide services to support and encourage highly 2-9 qualified, economically disadvantaged students pursuing a medical 2-10 education; 2-11 (2) award undergraduate and graduate scholarships and 2-12 summer stipends to those students; and 2-13 (3) guarantee the admission of those students to at 2-14 least one participating medical school. 2-15 Sec. 51.823. COMPOSITION OF COUNCIL. (a) The participating 2-16 medical schools shall jointly establish the Joint Admission Medical 2-17 Program Council consisting of one faculty member employed by and 2-18 representing each of the participating medical schools. 2-19 (b) A person may not serve on the council for more than six 2-20 consecutive years. 2-21 (c) The council shall select one of its members to serve as 2-22 council chair for a term of two years. 2-23 Sec. 51.824. COUNCIL DUTIES. (a) The council shall: 2-24 (1) recruit eligible high school graduates for 2-25 admission to the program; 2-26 (2) establish an application process for admission to 2-27 the program; 3-1 (3) evaluate applications for admission to the program 3-2 as described by Subsection (b); 3-3 (4) monitor the implementation of the program; 3-4 (5) assist in developing services to support and 3-5 encourage participating students and, as applicable, nontraditional 3-6 students described by Section 51.831 in their pursuit of a medical 3-7 education; 3-8 (6) establish a process for participating students to: 3-9 (A) be matched to an internship program as 3-10 described by Subsection (c); 3-11 (B) apply for admission to participating medical 3-12 schools; 3-13 (C) be matched to an individual medical school 3-14 as described by Subsection (d); and 3-15 (D) enroll in that school; 3-16 (7) award to participating students undergraduate 3-17 scholarships and summer stipends, including a summer stipend for a 3-18 student who elects to participate in an internship program in the 3-19 summer immediately following the student's senior year; 3-20 (8) award graduate scholarships to participating 3-21 students and, as applicable, nontraditional students described by 3-22 Section 51.831; and 3-23 (9) enter into an agreement with each student admitted 3-24 to the program, each participating medical school, and each general 3-25 academic teaching institution as required by this subchapter. 3-26 (b) From each general academic teaching institution, the 3-27 council annually shall select for admission to the program at least 4-1 two eligible high school graduates who have been admitted to and 4-2 who intend to enroll at that institution. The council shall 4-3 allocate the remaining program openings to each general academic 4-4 teaching institution in proportion to the average size of each 4-5 institution's entering freshman class during the four-year period 4-6 preceding the allocation. 4-7 (c) The council shall match each participating student with 4-8 appropriate internship programs offered by participating medical 4-9 schools during the summers immediately following the student's 4-10 freshman, sophomore, and junior years. A participating student who 4-11 elects to participate in an internship program in the summer 4-12 immediately following the student's senior year must be matched to 4-13 an internship program offered by the participating medical school 4-14 to which the student is otherwise matched under Subsection (d). 4-15 (d) During a participating student's senior year, the 4-16 council shall match the student with an appropriate participating 4-17 medical school as necessary to fill the percentage of enrollment 4-18 capacity set aside by each medical school under the program. To 4-19 the extent possible, the council shall accommodate the preferences 4-20 of participating students regarding medical school placement. A 4-21 participating medical school may not make an offer of admission to 4-22 a participating student before the student is matched by the 4-23 council to a medical school as described by this subsection. 4-24 Sec. 51.825. COUNCIL DELEGATION. The council may delegate 4-25 the performance of the council's administrative functions, 4-26 including its matching functions, to the Texas Medical and Dental 4-27 Schools Application Service operated through The University of 5-1 Texas System. 5-2 Sec. 51.826. ELIGIBILITY FOR ADMISSION TO PROGRAM. To be 5-3 eligible for admission to the program, a high school graduate must: 5-4 (1) apply for admission to the program before 5-5 enrollment at a general academic teaching institution; 5-6 (2) be admitted to and intend to enroll at a general 5-7 academic teaching institution; and 5-8 (3) meet criteria established by the council 5-9 regarding: 5-10 (A) minimum high school grade point average; 5-11 (B) financial need and any other indication of 5-12 economic disadvantage; and 5-13 (C) any other criteria the council considers 5-14 appropriate. 5-15 Sec. 51.827. ELIGIBILITY TO CONTINUE PARTICIPATION IN 5-16 PROGRAM. (a) To be eligible to continue participation in the 5-17 program, a student who is admitted to the program must: 5-18 (1) enroll at a general academic teaching institution 5-19 not later than the first fall semester following the student's 5-20 graduation from high school; 5-21 (2) meet criteria established by the council 5-22 regarding: 5-23 (A) courses taken and minimum grade point 5-24 average for those courses during enrollment at the general academic 5-25 teaching institution; 5-26 (B) progress in those courses; and 5-27 (C) minimum score on the Medical College 6-1 Admission Test or any equivalent examination taken as a 6-2 precondition for enrollment in or admission to a participating 6-3 medical school; and 6-4 (3) participate in: 6-5 (A) internship programs described by Section 6-6 51.824(c) in the summers immediately following the student's 6-7 freshman, sophomore, and junior years; and 6-8 (B) any undergraduate or graduate mentoring 6-9 programs required by the council. 6-10 (b) If a student who is admitted to the program fails to 6-11 enroll at a general academic teaching institution at the time 6-12 required by Subsection (a)(1) or to meet the requirements of 6-13 Subsection (a)(2) or (3) without good cause as determined by the 6-14 council, the council may terminate that student's participation in 6-15 the program at the end of the semester during which the student 6-16 failed to enroll or otherwise meet the requirements of that 6-17 subsection. A student's participation in the program is 6-18 automatically terminated if the student fails to meet any of the 6-19 requirements of Subsection (a) for two consecutive semesters 6-20 without good cause. 6-21 Sec. 51.828. COUNCIL AGREEMENT WITH STUDENT ADMITTED TO 6-22 PROGRAM. (a) A student admitted to the program must enter into an 6-23 agreement with the council under which the student agrees to: 6-24 (1) maintain eligibility for continued participation 6-25 in the program; and 6-26 (2) repay any scholarship or stipend received under 6-27 the program if the student enrolls in a public or private medical 7-1 school in another state, other than temporary enrollment occurring 7-2 as a result of an exchange program. 7-3 (b) At the time the student enters into an agreement under 7-4 this section, the council shall provide the student with 7-5 information regarding: 7-6 (1) available program benefits, including 7-7 undergraduate and graduate scholarships and summer stipends; and 7-8 (2) repayment of scholarship and stipend benefits 7-9 received under the program. 7-10 Sec. 51.829. COUNCIL AGREEMENT WITH PARTICIPATING MEDICAL 7-11 SCHOOL. A participating medical school must enter into an agreement 7-12 with the council under which the medical school agrees to: 7-13 (1) select a faculty member employed by the medical 7-14 school to serve on the council; 7-15 (2) commit faculty and administrative resources to the 7-16 program; 7-17 (3) set aside for participating students or, if 7-18 necessary, nontraditional students eligible under Section 51.831 at 7-19 least 10 percent of the medical school's enrollment capacity for 7-20 each entering class; 7-21 (4) admit participating students who are matched to 7-22 the medical school under the program; 7-23 (5) provide internship programs for participating 7-24 students who have been matched to or have elected to participate in 7-25 those programs as described by Section 51.824(c) and coordinate the 7-26 administration of those programs with general academic teaching 7-27 institutions as necessary; 8-1 (6) provide for participating students any mentoring 8-2 programs required by the council and coordinate the administration 8-3 of those programs with general academic teaching institutions as 8-4 necessary; and 8-5 (7) provide support services, including 8-6 postbaccalaureate mentoring programs, to participating students who 8-7 enroll in the medical school. 8-8 Sec. 51.830. COUNCIL AGREEMENT WITH GENERAL ACADEMIC 8-9 TEACHING INSTITUTION. Each general academic teaching institution 8-10 must enter into an agreement with the council under which the 8-11 institution agrees to provide academic counseling to a 8-12 participating student enrolled at that institution. 8-13 Sec. 51.831. NONTRADITIONAL STUDENTS. If for any reason a 8-14 participating medical school does not fill the percentage of 8-15 enrollment capacity set aside for participating students under the 8-16 program, the medical school shall fill the remaining openings with 8-17 nontraditional, economically disadvantaged students who are 25 8-18 years of age or older. Nontraditional students admitted under this 8-19 section are subject only to the benefits and requirements 8-20 applicable to participating students after their enrollment in a 8-21 participating medical school and must sign an agreement to that 8-22 effect. 8-23 Sec. 51.832. FUNDING. (a) The council may solicit and 8-24 accept gifts and grants from any public or private source for the 8-25 purposes of this subchapter. 8-26 (b) The legislature may appropriate money for the purposes 8-27 of this subchapter. 9-1 Sec. 51.833. REPORT. (a) The council shall deliver a report 9-2 on the program to the governor, the lieutenant governor, and the 9-3 speaker of the house of representatives not later than December 31 9-4 of each even-numbered year. 9-5 (b) The report must contain detailed information regarding: 9-6 (1) any problems the council identifies in 9-7 implementing the program, with recommended solutions for those 9-8 problems; 9-9 (2) the expenditure of any money received under this 9-10 subchapter, including legislative appropriations; and 9-11 (3) the number of participating students enrolled in 9-12 each year of a baccalaureate, graduate, or professional degree 9-13 program offered by a general academic teaching institution or a 9-14 participating medical school, as applicable. 9-15 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives 9-16 a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as 9-17 provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this 9-18 Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this 9-19 Act takes effect September 1, 2001.