This website will be unavailable from Thursday, May 30, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. through Monday, June 3, 2024 at 7:00 a.m. due to data center maintenance.

                                                                                
79R5352 KSD-F


By:  McCall                                                       H.B. No. 1697



A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the use of gifts to fund technology workforce 
development grants and to the evaluation of the technology 
workforce development grant program.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:                        
	SECTION 1.  Section 51.856(b), Education Code, is amended to 
read as follows:
	(b)  For a state fiscal biennium, the amount appropriated 
from the undedicated portion of the general revenue fund under 
Subsection (a) may not be less than the sum of:
		(1)  the amount of money deposited to the credit of the 
account during that biennium under Section 51.855; [and]
		(2)  the market value of any in-kind contributions 
accepted by the consortium during that biennium under Section 
51.855, as determined by the comptroller based on information 
provided to the comptroller by the consortium and verified by the 
coordinating board; and
		(3)  the amount or value, as appropriate, of any gift, 
grant, or donation that the coordinating board determines was:
			(A)  applied for and received by an eligible 
computer science institution, eligible engineering institution, or 
eligible private or independent engineering institution during 
that biennium for the purposes for which grants are awarded under 
Section 51.857(a); and
			(B)  received from a source other than a 
participant in the consortium.
	SECTION 2.  Sections 51.860(a) and (c), Education Code, are 
amended to read as follows:
	(a)  To evaluate the effectiveness of the grant program under 
this subchapter, the coordinating board shall appoint an evaluation
[advisory] committee consisting of:
		(1)  higher education representatives;  and                                   
		(2)  experts in the fields of engineering and computer 
science.             
	(c)  The grant program evaluation committee is not subject to 
Chapter 2110, Government Code.
	SECTION 3.  (a)  The change in law made by this Act to Section 
51.856(b), Education Code, applies only to an appropriation made 
for a period that occurs on or after the effective date of this Act.
	(b)  On the effective date of this Act, the members of the 
advisory committee established by Section 51.860, Education Code, 
serving on that date become members of the evaluation committee 
established by Section 51.860, Education Code, as amended by this 
Act.
	SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2005.