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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to engineering recruitment programs established by the |
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Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding |
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Subchapter Q to read as follows: |
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SUBCHAPTER Q. ENGINEERING RECRUITMENT PROGRAMS |
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Sec. 61.791. ENGINEERING SUMMER PROGRAM. (a) The board |
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shall establish and administer, using funds appropriated for that |
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purpose, a one-week summer program to take place on the campus of |
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each general academic teaching institution that offers an |
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engineering degree program. The summer program must be designed |
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for middle and high school students and to expose those students to |
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math, science, and engineering concepts that a student in an |
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engineering degree program may encounter. |
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(b) The board by rule shall establish the requirements for |
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admission to a summer program established under this section. In |
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adopting rules under this subsection, the board must consider the |
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demographics of the state and adopt rules that encourage the |
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program to enroll students in the program that reflect the |
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demographics of the state. The governing board of each institution |
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to which this section applies shall cooperate with the board in |
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administering this section. |
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Sec. 61.792. ENGINEERING SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM. (a) The |
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board shall establish and administer, using funds appropriated for |
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that purpose, scholarships for students pursuing a degree in |
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engineering at a general academic teaching institution. |
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(b) To qualify for a scholarship under this section, a |
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student must: |
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(1) have graduated with a grade point average in the |
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top 20 percent of the student's high school graduating class; |
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(2) have received a score: |
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(A) on the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) of at |
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least 1,875 out of 2,400 or an equivalent score on the American |
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College Test (ACT); or |
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(B) on the subject test in mathematics of the |
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Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) of at least 640 out of 800 or an |
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equivalent score on the subject test in mathematics of the American |
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College Test (ACT); and |
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(3) maintain a grade point average of at least 3.0 on a |
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four-point scale in the engineering program in which the student is |
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enrolled. |
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(c) The board shall adopt rules as necessary for the |
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administration of this section, including rules providing for the |
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determination of the amount of each scholarship. |
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Sec. 61.793. FUNDING. The board shall administer this |
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subchapter using available appropriations and gifts, grants, and |
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donations made for the purposes of this subchapter. |
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SECTION 2. (a) Subchapter Q, Chapter 61, Education Code, as |
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added by this Act, applies beginning with the 2007-2008 academic |
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year. |
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(b) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall |
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adopt rules for the administration of Subchapter Q, Chapter 61, |
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Education Code, as added by this Act, as soon as practicable after |
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this Act takes effect. For that purpose, the coordinating board may |
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adopt the rules in the manner provided by law for emergency rules. |
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SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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Act takes effect September 1, 2007. |