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.