1-1 By: Bivins S.B. No. 1595
1-2 (In the Senate - Filed March 9, 2001; March 14, 2001, read
1-3 first time and referred to Committee on Education; March 26, 2001,
1-4 reported adversely, with favorable Committee Substitute by the
1-5 following vote: Yeas 8, Nays 0; March 26, 2001, sent to printer.)
1-6 COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 1595 By: Bivins
1-7 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-8 AN ACT
1-9 relating to financial assistance for certain persons seeking
1-10 certification as public school teachers, including revisions to the
1-11 Teach for Texas grant program, and to loan repayment assistance for
1-12 certain classroom teachers.
1-13 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-14 SECTION 1. Section 56.309, Education Code, is redesignated
1-15 as Subchapter O, Chapter 56, Education Code, and amended to read as
1-16 follows:
1-17 SUBCHAPTER O. TEACH FOR TEXAS FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
1-18 Sec. 56.351. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
1-19 (1) "Coordinating board" means the Texas Higher
1-20 Education Coordinating Board.
1-21 (2) "Eligible institution of higher education" means:
1-22 (A) an institution of higher education; or
1-23 (B) a private or independent institution of
1-24 higher education as defined by Section 61.003.
1-25 Sec. 56.352 [56.309]. PURPOSE OF [TEACH FOR TEXAS GRANT]
1-26 PROGRAM. [(a)] The purpose of this subchapter [the Teach for
1-27 Texas grant program] is to attract to the teaching profession
1-28 persons who have expressed interest in teaching and to support the
1-29 certification of those persons as classroom teachers by providing a
1-30 grant on the condition that the recipient serve as a classroom
1-31 teacher in the public schools of this state for a specified period.
1-32 Sec. 56.353. ELIGIBILITY FOR GRANT; TEACHING AGREEMENT. (a)
1-33 [(b)] A Teach for Texas [tuition] grant is available only to a
1-34 person who [receives a TEXAS grant under Section 56.304 or 56.305,]
1-35 applies for a [Teach for Texas tuition] grant[,] and:
1-36 (1) is seeking educator certification;
1-37 (2) is enrolled in an eligible institution of higher
1-38 education in this state:
1-39 (A) as a junior or senior in a baccalaureate
1-40 degree program; or
1-41 (B) in the person's first academic year in an
1-42 educator certification program after receiving a baccalaureate
1-43 degree;
1-44 (3) makes satisfactory progress toward completion of
1-45 the person's educator certification program; and
1-46 (4) satisfies one of the following [if]:
1-47 (A) the person is seeking educator certification
1-48 [(1) the degree program is] in a teaching field certified by the
1-49 commissioner of education as experiencing a critical shortage of
1-50 teachers in this state in the year in which the person receives the
1-51 grant and agrees to teach full-time for five years at the
1-52 preschool, primary, or secondary level in a public school in this
1-53 state in that teaching field [begins the degree program]; or
1-54 (B) [(2)] the person agrees to teach full-time
1-55 for five years at the preschool, primary, or secondary level in a
1-56 public school in this state in a community, which is not required
1-57 to be specifically designated at the time the person receives the
1-58 grant, certified by the commissioner of education as experiencing a
1-59 critical shortage of teachers in any year in which the person
1-60 receives a grant under this subchapter [section] or in any
1-61 subsequent year in which the person fulfills the teaching
1-62 obligation.
1-63 (b) The coordinating board in awarding Teach for Texas
1-64 grants shall give priority to applicants whose expected family
2-1 contribution and demonstrated financial need, as determined by the
2-2 financial aid office of the institution the applicant attends, does
2-3 not exceed the applicant's cost of attendance.
2-4 (c) If the money available for grants in a period for which
2-5 grants are awarded exceeds the amount needed to provide grants to
2-6 all eligible applicants described by Subsection (b), the
2-7 coordinating board shall award grants from the remaining money to
2-8 additional eligible applicants. The coordinating board shall
2-9 prescribe by rule the eligibility requirements for these applicants
2-10 based on the factors that the coordinating board considers
2-11 appropriate to further the purposes of this subchapter.
2-12 (d) If the money available for grants in a period for which
2-13 grants are awarded is insufficient to provide grants to all
2-14 eligible applicants described by Subsection (b), the coordinating
2-15 board shall award grants among those applicants according to
2-16 financial need.
2-17 (e) A person may not receive a Teach for Texas tuition grant
2-18 for more than three academic years or the equivalent.
2-19 (f) A person is not eligible to receive a Teach for Texas
2-20 grant if the person has been convicted of a felony or an offense
2-21 under Chapter 481, Health and Safety Code (Texas Controlled
2-22 Substances Act), or under the law of another jurisdiction involving
2-23 a controlled substance, as defined by Chapter 481, Health and
2-24 Safety Code, unless the person has met the other applicable
2-25 eligibility requirements under this subchapter and has:
2-26 (1) received a certificate of discharge by the Texas
2-27 Department of Criminal Justice or a correctional facility or
2-28 completed a period of probation ordered by a court, and at least
2-29 two years have elapsed from the date of the receipt or completion;
2-30 or
2-31 (2) been pardoned, had the record of the offense
2-32 expunged from the person's record, or otherwise has been released
2-33 from the resulting ineligibility to receive a grant under this
2-34 subchapter.
2-35 (g) For the purpose of this section, a person makes
2-36 satisfactory academic progress toward completion of an educator
2-37 certification program if the person:
2-38 (1) completes at least 75 percent of the semester
2-39 credit hours attempted in the student's most recent academic year;
2-40 and
2-41 (2) earns an overall grade point average of at least
2-42 2.5 on a four-point scale or the equivalent on coursework
2-43 previously attempted at institutions of higher education.
2-44 Sec. 56.354. AMOUNT OF GRANT; PAYMENT OF GRANT. (a) The
2-45 amount of a Teach for Texas grant is equal to four times the
2-46 current amount of a TEXAS grant under Subchapter M for a student
2-47 enrolled in a general academic teaching institution [To receive a
2-48 Teach for Texas tuition grant, a person must agree to teach
2-49 full-time for five years at the preschool, primary, or secondary
2-50 level in a public school in this state in the person's chosen
2-51 critical field or in a community experiencing a critical teacher
2-52 shortage, as applicable].
2-53 (b) [(d)] The coordinating board shall pay the amount of a
2-54 Teach for Texas [tuition] grant in installments, with a
2-55 substantially equal amount paid in each semester or term based on
2-56 the number of semesters in which a typical full-time student would
2-57 complete the recipient's educator certification program. The
2-58 coordinating board may adjust the amount of a grant for a semester
2-59 or term, or award a supplemental grant, to ensure that a grant
2-60 recipient who completes the educator certification program receives
2-61 the total amount of the recipient's grant [under this section is
2-62 equal to two times the amount of a TEXAS grant authorized under
2-63 Section 56.307(b) for the same semester or term].
2-64 Sec. 56.355. ELIGIBILITY FOR TEXAS GRANT NOT AFFECTED. A
2-65 person may receive both a TEXAS grant under Subchapter M [Section
2-66 56.304 or 56.305] and a Teach for Texas grant under this subchapter
2-67 [section] for the same semester or term.
2-68 Sec. 56.356. SATISFYING TEACHING OBLIGATION; REPAYMENT.
2-69 (a) A person who receives a Teach for Texas grant [(e) The person]
3-1 must begin fulfilling the teaching obligation of the person's grant
3-2 [this section] not later than the 18th month after the person
3-3 completes the educator certification program for which the person
3-4 received the grant [degree program and any related courses required
3-5 for teacher certification], unless the coordinating board grants
3-6 the person additional time to begin fulfilling the teaching
3-7 obligation.
3-8 (b) The person must complete the teaching obligation not
3-9 later than the sixth year after the date the person begins to
3-10 fulfill the teaching obligation. The coordinating board shall
3-11 grant a person additional time to complete the teaching obligation
3-12 for good cause.
3-13 (c) [(f)] The coordinating board shall cancel a person's
3-14 teaching obligation if the board determines that the person:
3-15 (1) has become permanently disabled so that the person
3-16 is not able to teach; or
3-17 (2) has died.
3-18 (d) [(g)] The coordinating board shall require a person who
3-19 receives a Teach for Texas grant [under this section] to sign a
3-20 promissory note acknowledging the conditional nature of the grant
3-21 and promising to repay the outstanding amount of the grant plus
3-22 applicable interest and reasonable collection costs if the person
3-23 does not satisfy the applicable conditions. The board shall
3-24 determine the terms of the promissory note.
3-25 (e) [(h)] The amount required to be repaid by a person who
3-26 fails to complete the teaching obligation of the person's grant
3-27 shall be determined in proportion to the portion of the total
3-28 teaching obligation that the person has not satisfied.
3-29 (f) [(i)] A person receiving a Teach for Texas [tuition]
3-30 grant is considered to have failed to satisfy the conditions of the
3-31 grant, and the grant automatically becomes a loan, if the person
3-32 fails to remain enrolled in or to make steady progress in the
3-33 person's educator certification program and, if applicable, the
3-34 person's baccalaureate degree program for which the grant was made
3-35 without good cause as determined by the coordinating board or if
3-36 the person fails to become certified as a teacher not later than
3-37 the 18th month after the date the person completes the educator
3-38 certification program [receives a degree].
3-39 Sec. 56.357. TEACH FOR TEXAS ALTERNATIVE CERTIFICATION
3-40 ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. (a) The coordinating board shall establish a
3-41 program under which the coordinating board awards grants to assist
3-42 persons seeking educator certification through alternative educator
3-43 certification programs as provided by this section.
3-44 (b) To be eligible for a grant under the program, a person
3-45 must apply for a grant and:
3-46 (1) have received a baccalaureate degree from an
3-47 eligible institution of higher education or an accredited
3-48 out-of-state institution of higher education; and
3-49 (2) enroll in an alternative educator certification
3-50 program described by Section 21.049 and satisfy either of the
3-51 following conditions:
3-52 (A) be seeking educator certification in a
3-53 teaching field certified by the commissioner of education as
3-54 experiencing a critical shortage of teachers in this state in the
3-55 year in which the person receives the grant and agree to teach for
3-56 five years in a public school in this state in that teaching field;
3-57 or
3-58 (B) agree to teach for five years in a public
3-59 school in this state in a community, which is not required to be
3-60 specifically designated at the time the person receives the grant,
3-61 certified by the commissioner of education as experiencing a
3-62 critical shortage of teachers in any year in which the person
3-63 receives a grant under this section or in any subsequent year in
3-64 which the person fulfills the teaching obligation.
3-65 (c) A person is not eligible to receive a grant under the
3-66 program if the person has been convicted of a felony or an offense
3-67 under Chapter 481, Health and Safety Code (Texas Controlled
3-68 Substances Act), or under the law of another jurisdiction involving
3-69 a controlled substance, as defined by Chapter 481, Health and
4-1 Safety Code, unless the person has met the other applicable
4-2 eligibility requirements under this section and has:
4-3 (1) received a certificate of discharge by the Texas
4-4 Department of Criminal Justice or a correctional facility or
4-5 completed a period of probation ordered by a court, and at least
4-6 two years have elapsed from the date of the receipt or completion;
4-7 or
4-8 (2) been pardoned, had the record of the offense
4-9 expunged from the person's record, or otherwise has been released
4-10 from the resulting ineligibility to receive a grant under the
4-11 program.
4-12 (d) In selecting applicants to receive grants under the
4-13 program, the coordinating board shall consider:
4-14 (1) the financial resources of an applicant;
4-15 (2) the efficient use of the money available for
4-16 grants;
4-17 (3) the opportunity of applicants from all regions of
4-18 this state to receive grants; and
4-19 (4) any other factor the coordinating board considers
4-20 appropriate to further the purposes of this subchapter.
4-21 (e) The amount of a grant under the program is equal to two
4-22 times the current amount of a TEXAS grant under Subchapter M for a
4-23 student enrolled in a general academic teaching institution. The
4-24 coordinating board may pay the amount of the grant in installments
4-25 during the period in which the person is enrolled in the person's
4-26 alternative educator certification program.
4-27 (f) The person must begin fulfilling the person's teaching
4-28 obligation not later than the 18th month after the person completes
4-29 the alternative educator certification program, unless the
4-30 coordinating board for good cause grants the person additional time
4-31 to begin fulfilling the teaching obligation. The person must
4-32 complete the teaching obligation not later than the sixth year
4-33 after the date the person begins to fulfill the teaching
4-34 obligation. The coordinating board shall grant a person additional
4-35 time to complete the teaching obligation for good cause.
4-36 (g) The coordinating board shall cancel a person's teaching
4-37 obligation if the coordinating board determines that the person:
4-38 (1) has become permanently disabled so that the person
4-39 is not able to teach; or
4-40 (2) has died.
4-41 (h) The coordinating board shall require a person who
4-42 receives a grant to sign a promissory note acknowledging the
4-43 conditional nature of the grant and promising to repay the amount
4-44 of the grant plus applicable interest and reasonable collection
4-45 costs if the person does not satisfy the applicable conditions of
4-46 the grant. The coordinating board shall determine the terms of the
4-47 promissory note.
4-48 (i) The amount required to be repaid by a person who fails
4-49 to complete the teaching obligation of the person's grant shall be
4-50 determined in proportion to the portion of the teaching obligation
4-51 that the person has not satisfied.
4-52 (j) A person receiving a grant is considered to have failed
4-53 to satisfy the conditions of the grant, and the grant automatically
4-54 becomes a loan, if the person, without good cause as determined by
4-55 the coordinating board, fails to:
4-56 (1) remain enrolled in or to make steady progress in
4-57 the alternative educator certification program for which the grant
4-58 was made or, with the approval of the coordinating board, in
4-59 another alternative educator certification program; or
4-60 (2) become certified as a classroom teacher not later
4-61 than the 18th month after the date the person completes the
4-62 alternative educator certification program.
4-63 Sec. 56.358. FUNDING; ALLOCATION OF FUNDING. (a) The
4-64 coordinating board may solicit and accept gifts and grants from any
4-65 public or private source for the purposes of this subchapter.
4-66 (b) The legislature may appropriate money for the purposes
4-67 of this subchapter.
4-68 SECTION 2. The heading to Subchapter M, Chapter 56,
4-69 Education Code, as added by Chapter 1590, Acts of the 76th
5-1 Legislature, Regular Session, 1999, is amended to read as follows:
5-2 SUBCHAPTER M. TOWARD EXCELLENCE, ACCESS, & SUCCESS (TEXAS)
5-3 GRANT PROGRAM [AND TEACH FOR TEXAS GRANT PROGRAM]
5-4 SECTION 3. Subsection (b), Section 56.308, Education Code,
5-5 is amended to read as follows:
5-6 (b) Each school district shall:
5-7 (1) notify its middle school students, junior high
5-8 school students, and high school students, those students' teachers
5-9 and counselors, and those students' parents of the TEXAS grant and
5-10 Teach for Texas grant programs [established under this subchapter],
5-11 the eligibility requirements of each program, the need for students
5-12 to make informed curriculum choices to be prepared for success
5-13 beyond high school, and sources of information on higher education
5-14 admissions and financial aid in a manner that assists the district
5-15 in implementing a strategy adopted by the district under Section
5-16 11.252(a)(4); and
5-17 (2) ensure that each student's official transcript or
5-18 diploma indicates whether the student has completed or is on
5-19 schedule to complete:
5-20 (A) the recommended or advanced high school
5-21 curriculum required for grant eligibility under Section 28.002 or
5-22 28.025; or
5-23 (B) for a school district covered by Section
5-24 56.304(f)(1), the required portion of the recommended or advanced
5-25 high school curriculum in the manner described by Section
5-26 56.304(f)(2).
5-27 SECTION 4. Section 56.311, Education Code, is amended to
5-28 read as follows:
5-29 Sec. 56.311. LEGISLATIVE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE. (a) The
5-30 Legislative Oversight Committee on the TEXAS grant program and
5-31 Teach for Texas grant program [programs established by this
5-32 subchapter] is composed of six members as follows:
5-33 (1) three members of the senate appointed by the
5-34 lieutenant governor; and
5-35 (2) three members of the house of representatives
5-36 appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives.
5-37 (b) The committee shall:
5-38 (1) meet at least twice a year with the coordinating
5-39 board; and
5-40 (2) receive information regarding rules relating to
5-41 the TEXAS grant program and Teach for Texas grant program [programs
5-42 established by this subchapter] that have been adopted by the
5-43 coordinating board or proposed for adoption by the coordinating
5-44 board.
5-45 (c) The committee may request reports and other information
5-46 from the coordinating board relating to the operation of the TEXAS
5-47 grant program and Teach for Texas grant program [programs under
5-48 this subchapter] by the coordinating board.
5-49 (d) The committee shall review the specific recommendations
5-50 for legislation related to this subchapter that are proposed by the
5-51 coordinating board.
5-52 (e) The committee shall monitor the operation of the TEXAS
5-53 grant program and Teach for Texas grant program [programs
5-54 established under this subchapter], with emphasis on the manner of
5-55 the award of grants, the number of grants awarded, and the
5-56 educational progress made by persons who have received grants under
5-57 those programs [this subchapter].
5-58 (f) The committee shall file a report with the governor,
5-59 lieutenant governor, and speaker of the house of representatives
5-60 not later than December 31 of each even-numbered year.
5-61 (g) The report shall include identification of any problems
5-62 in the TEXAS grant program and Teach for Texas grant program
5-63 [programs operated under this subchapter] with recommended
5-64 solutions for the coordinating board and for legislative action.
5-65 SECTION 5. Subsection (a), Section 11.252, Education Code,
5-66 is amended to read as follows:
5-67 (a) Each school district shall have a district improvement
5-68 plan that is developed, evaluated, and revised annually, in
5-69 accordance with district policy, by the superintendent with the
6-1 assistance of the district-level committee established under
6-2 Section 11.251. The purpose of the district improvement plan is to
6-3 guide district and campus staff in the improvement of student
6-4 performance for all student groups in order to attain state
6-5 standards in respect to the academic excellence indicators adopted
6-6 under Section 39.051. The district improvement plan must include
6-7 provisions for:
6-8 (1) a comprehensive needs assessment addressing
6-9 district student performance on the academic excellence indicators,
6-10 and other appropriate measures of performance, that are
6-11 disaggregated by all student groups served by the district,
6-12 including categories of ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sex, and
6-13 populations served by special programs, including students in
6-14 special education programs under Subchapter A, Chapter 29;
6-15 (2) measurable district performance objectives for all
6-16 appropriate academic excellence indicators for all student
6-17 populations, including students in special education programs under
6-18 Subchapter A, Chapter 29, and other measures of student performance
6-19 that may be identified through the comprehensive needs assessment;
6-20 (3) strategies for improvement of student performance
6-21 that include:
6-22 (A) instructional methods for addressing the
6-23 needs of student groups not achieving their full potential;
6-24 (B) methods for addressing the needs of students
6-25 for special programs, such as suicide prevention, conflict
6-26 resolution, violence prevention, or dyslexia treatment programs;
6-27 (C) dropout reduction;
6-28 (D) integration of technology in instructional
6-29 and administrative programs;
6-30 (E) discipline management;
6-31 (F) staff development for professional staff of
6-32 the district;
6-33 (G) career education to assist students in
6-34 developing the knowledge, skills, and competencies necessary for a
6-35 broad range of career opportunities; and
6-36 (H) accelerated education;
6-37 (4) strategies for providing to middle school, junior
6-38 high school, and high school students, those students' teachers and
6-39 counselors, and those students' parents information about:
6-40 (A) higher education admissions and financial
6-41 aid opportunities;
6-42 (B) the TEXAS grant program and the Teach for
6-43 Texas grant program established under [Subchapter M,] Chapter 56;
6-44 (C) the need for students to make informed
6-45 curriculum choices to be prepared for success beyond high school;
6-46 and
6-47 (D) sources of information on higher education
6-48 admissions and financial aid;
6-49 (5) resources needed to implement identified
6-50 strategies;
6-51 (6) staff responsible for ensuring the accomplishment
6-52 of each strategy;
6-53 (7) timelines for ongoing monitoring of the
6-54 implementation of each improvement strategy; and
6-55 (8) formative evaluation criteria for determining
6-56 periodically whether strategies are resulting in intended
6-57 improvement of student performance.
6-58 SECTION 6. Subchapter M, Chapter 61, Education Code, is
6-59 amended by amending Section 61.702 and adding Section 61.7021 to
6-60 read as follows:
6-61 Sec. 61.702. ELIGIBILITY FOR CLASSROOM TEACHER REPAYMENT
6-62 ASSISTANCE. (a) To be eligible to receive repayment assistance
6-63 for classroom teachers, a person must apply to the board and must
6-64 [have]:
6-65 (1) have completed at least one year of employment as
6-66 [and be employed as] a full-time classroom teacher at the
6-67 preschool, primary, or secondary level in a public school in [the
6-68 elementary or secondary schools of] this state in an area or field
6-69 of acute teacher shortage as designated by the commissioner of
7-1 education [State Board of Education]; and
7-2 (2) be employed as a full-time classroom teacher at
7-3 the preschool, primary, or secondary level in a public school in
7-4 this state in an area or field described by Subdivision (1).
7-5 (b) A person is not eligible for repayment assistance for
7-6 classroom teachers under this subchapter if the person has received
7-7 a Teach for Texas grant or other financial assistance under
7-8 Subchapter O, Chapter 56, or under former Section 56.309.
7-9 (c) The board shall give priority in granting repayment
7-10 assistance for classroom teachers to a person who received
7-11 repayment assistance for classroom teachers for the preceding
7-12 school year. The priority terminates if the person does not apply
7-13 for or is not eligible for that assistance. In extraordinary
7-14 circumstances, the board may allow a person to maintain the
7-15 priority after one or more years in which the person is unable to
7-16 teach as a classroom teacher.
7-17 Sec. 61.7021. ELIGIBILITY FOR BORDER INSTITUTION FACULTY
7-18 REPAYMENT ASSISTANCE. To be eligible to receive repayment
7-19 assistance for border institution faculty, a person must apply to
7-20 the board and must:
7-21 (1) have [or]
7-22 [(2)] received a doctoral degree not earlier than
7-23 September 1, 1994, from a public or private institution of higher
7-24 education accredited as required by the board; and
7-25 (2) be employed as a full-time faculty member with
7-26 instructional duties in an institution of higher education located
7-27 in a county that borders the United Mexican States.
7-28 SECTION 7. Section 61.705, Education Code, is amended by
7-29 amending Subsection (c) and adding Subsections (d) and (e) to read
7-30 as follows:
7-31 (c) The minimum amount of repayment assistance that may be
7-32 awarded in one year to a person who qualifies for the assistance
7-33 under Section 61.702 is the lesser of:
7-34 (1) $1,000; or
7-35 (2) the amount of principal and accrued interest that
7-36 is due on eligible loans in that year.
7-37 (d) A person may not receive repayment assistance for
7-38 classroom teachers under this subchapter in a total amount that
7-39 exceeds $5,000, and may not receive that repayment assistance for
7-40 more than five years.
7-41 (e) The minimum amount of repayment assistance that may be
7-42 awarded [received] in one year to [by] a person who qualifies for
7-43 the assistance under [described by] Section 61.7021 [61.702(2)] is
7-44 50 percent of the amount of principal and accrued interest that is
7-45 due on eligible loans that year.
7-46 SECTION 8. Subsection (a), Section 61.708, Education Code,
7-47 is amended to read as follows:
7-48 (a) The board shall adopt rules necessary for the
7-49 administration of this subchapter, including[:]
7-50 [(1) a rule that sets a minimum or maximum amount of
7-51 repayment assistance that may be received in one year by a person
7-52 described by Section 61.702(1); and]
7-53 [(2)] a rule that sets a maximum amount of repayment
7-54 assistance that may be received in one year by a person who
7-55 qualifies for the assistance under Section 61.7021 [described by
7-56 Section 61.702(2)].
7-57 SECTION 9. (a) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating
7-58 Board shall implement the changes made by this Act to the Teach for
7-59 Texas grant program and to the classroom teacher loan repayment
7-60 assistance program under Subchapter M, Chapter 61, Education Code,
7-61 as soon as practicable after the effective date of this Act, but
7-62 not later than the 2002-2003 academic year.
7-63 (b) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall
7-64 adopt initial rules for awarding grants and shall award grants
7-65 under the Teach for Texas alternative certification assistance
7-66 program established under Section 56.357, Education Code, as added
7-67 by this Act, as soon as practicable.
7-68 SECTION 10. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
7-69 a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
8-1 provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
8-2 Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
8-3 Act takes effect September 1, 2001.
8-4 * * * * *