| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
| |
|
|
relating to the operation of the Joint Admission Medical Program |
|
|
and to admission to the program. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Subsections (a) and (b), Section 51.824, |
|
|
Education Code, are amended to read as follows: |
|
|
(a) The council shall: |
|
|
(1) recruit eligible undergraduate students for |
|
|
admission to the program; |
|
|
(2) establish an application process for admitting |
|
|
eligible undergraduate students to the program; |
|
|
(3) evaluate applications for admission to the program |
|
|
according to the procedures for selecting participating students |
|
|
under Subsection (b) and for selecting program alternates under |
|
|
Section 51.8245; |
|
|
(4) monitor the implementation of the program; |
|
|
(5) assist in developing services to support and |
|
|
encourage the pursuit of a medical education by participating |
|
|
students and[,] program alternates[, and, as applicable,
|
|
|
nontraditional students described by Section 51.832]; |
|
|
(6) establish a process for participating students to: |
|
|
(A) be matched to an internship program as |
|
|
described by Subsection (c); |
|
|
(B) be matched to any required undergraduate |
|
|
mentoring program as described by Subsection (d); |
|
|
(C) apply for admission to participating medical |
|
|
schools; |
|
|
(D) be matched to a participating medical school |
|
|
as described by Subsection (e); and |
|
|
(E) enroll in that school; |
|
|
(7) award to participating students undergraduate |
|
|
scholarships and summer stipends, including a summer stipend for a |
|
|
student who is required to participate in an internship program in |
|
|
the summer immediately following the student's senior year; |
|
|
(8) award graduate scholarships to participating |
|
|
students [and, as applicable, nontraditional students described by
|
|
|
Section 51.832]; |
|
|
(9) enter into an agreement with each student admitted |
|
|
to the program, each program alternate, each participating medical |
|
|
school, and each general academic teaching institution or private |
|
|
or independent institution of higher education as required by this |
|
|
subchapter; and |
|
|
(10) take any other action necessary to implement the |
|
|
program. |
|
|
(b) From each general academic teaching institution, the |
|
|
council annually shall select for admission to the program [at
|
|
|
least] two eligible undergraduate students who are enrolled as |
|
|
sophomores at that institution. From each private or independent |
|
|
institution of higher education, the council annually shall select |
|
|
for admission to the program one eligible undergraduate student who |
|
|
is enrolled as a sophomore at that institution [The council shall
|
|
|
allocate 10 percent of the total program openings on a rotation
|
|
|
basis to private or independent institutions of higher education]. |
|
|
The council shall allocate the remaining program openings to |
|
|
participating [general academic teaching] institutions as the |
|
|
council determines to be appropriate. If there are insufficient |
|
|
program openings to accommodate two students from each general |
|
|
academic teaching institution and one student from each private or |
|
|
independent institution of higher education, the council shall |
|
|
select students for admission to the program to achieve the purpose |
|
|
of this subchapter, with no more than 30 percent of the program |
|
|
openings allocated to students from private or independent |
|
|
institutions of higher education. |
|
|
SECTION 2. Section 51.826, Education Code, is amended to |
|
|
read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 51.826. ELIGIBILITY FOR ADMISSION TO PROGRAM. (a) To |
|
|
be eligible for admission to the program or for selection as a |
|
|
program alternate, an undergraduate student must: |
|
|
(1) have enrolled [enroll] at an [a general academic
|
|
|
teaching institution or a private or independent] institution of |
|
|
higher education not later than the first fall semester following |
|
|
the student's graduation from high school; |
|
|
(2) be enrolled at a general academic teaching |
|
|
institution or a private or independent institution of higher |
|
|
education at the time of application to the program; |
|
|
(3) be a Texas resident for purposes of tuition under |
|
|
Subchapter B, Chapter 54; |
|
|
(4) [(3)] except as provided by Subsection (c), |
|
|
successfully complete at least 27 semester credit hours during the |
|
|
student's freshman year [at the general academic teaching
|
|
|
institution or the private or independent institution of higher
|
|
|
education]; |
|
|
(5) [(4)] apply for admission to the program not later |
|
|
than the date designated by the council during [September 1 of] the |
|
|
fall semester of the student's sophomore year at the general |
|
|
academic teaching institution or the private or independent |
|
|
institution of higher education; and |
|
|
(6) [(5)] meet criteria established by the council |
|
|
regarding: |
|
|
(A) minimum high school and undergraduate grade |
|
|
point averages; |
|
|
(B) financial need and any other indication of |
|
|
economic disadvantage; and |
|
|
(C) any other matter the council considers |
|
|
appropriate. |
|
|
(b) For purposes of Subsection (a)(3) [(a)(2)], a student is |
|
|
not a Texas resident as described by that subdivision solely |
|
|
because the student is eligible to pay tuition at the resident |
|
|
tuition rate. |
|
|
(c) The council shall adopt rules to admit to the program or |
|
|
to select as a program alternate an otherwise eligible |
|
|
undergraduate student who, for good cause, has not successfully |
|
|
completed the number of semester credit hours required under |
|
|
Subsection (a)(4) [(a)(3)]. The council may not admit to the |
|
|
program or select as a program alternate an undergraduate student |
|
|
who has successfully completed fewer than 18 semester credit hours. |
|
|
SECTION 3. Subsection (b), Section 51.8265, Education Code, |
|
|
is amended to read as follows: |
|
|
(b) An identified student who expresses an interest in |
|
|
participating in the program is entitled to the following |
|
|
assistance during the student's freshman year: |
|
|
(1) regular meetings with a program faculty director |
|
|
or an academic or health professions advisor to monitor the |
|
|
student's academic progress and advise the student in academic |
|
|
course work and career choices; and |
|
|
(2) tutoring in courses as necessary, to be paid with |
|
|
program funds. |
|
|
SECTION 4. Subsection (a), Section 51.829, Education Code, |
|
|
is amended to read as follows: |
|
|
(a) Each participating medical school must enter into an |
|
|
agreement with the council under which the medical school agrees |
|
|
to: |
|
|
(1) select a faculty member employed by the medical |
|
|
school to serve on the council; |
|
|
(2) commit faculty and administrative resources to the |
|
|
program; |
|
|
(3) set aside for participating students [or, if
|
|
|
necessary, nontraditional students described by Section 51.831] at |
|
|
least 10 percent of the medical school's enrollment capacity for |
|
|
each entering class, except as provided by Subsection (b); |
|
|
(4) admit participating students who are matched to |
|
|
the medical school under the program; |
|
|
(5) provide internship programs for participating |
|
|
students who have been matched to or are required to participate in |
|
|
those programs as described by Section 51.824(c) and coordinate the |
|
|
administration of those programs with general academic teaching |
|
|
institutions or private or independent institutions of higher |
|
|
education as necessary; |
|
|
(6) provide for participating students and program |
|
|
alternates any mentoring programs required by the council at the |
|
|
undergraduate level and coordinate the administration of those |
|
|
programs with general academic teaching institutions or private or |
|
|
independent institutions of higher education as necessary; and |
|
|
(7) provide support services, including |
|
|
postbaccalaureate mentoring programs required by the council, to |
|
|
participating students [and, as applicable, nontraditional
|
|
|
students described by Section 51.832] who enroll in the medical |
|
|
school. |
|
|
SECTION 5. Section 51.830, Education Code, is amended to |
|
|
read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 51.830. COUNCIL AGREEMENT WITH GENERAL ACADEMIC |
|
|
TEACHING INSTITUTION. Each general academic teaching institution |
|
|
must enter into an agreement with the council under which the |
|
|
institution agrees to: |
|
|
(1) provide academic counseling to a participating |
|
|
student or program alternate enrolled at that institution; |
|
|
(2) as soon as practicable, implement or expand |
|
|
appropriate degree programs as necessary to provide participating |
|
|
students with sufficient preparation for enrollment in |
|
|
participating medical schools; and |
|
|
(3) select a faculty director or an academic or health |
|
|
professions advisor to assist in implementing the program at the |
|
|
institution and in implementing or expanding the institution's |
|
|
degree programs as necessary under Subdivision (2). |
|
|
SECTION 6. Section 51.831, Education Code, is amended to |
|
|
read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 51.831. COUNCIL AGREEMENT WITH PRIVATE OR INDEPENDENT |
|
|
INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION. Each private or independent |
|
|
institution of higher education must enter into an agreement with |
|
|
the council under which the institution agrees to: |
|
|
(1) provide academic counseling to a participating |
|
|
student or program alternate enrolled at the institution; |
|
|
(2) as soon as practicable, implement or expand |
|
|
appropriate degree programs as necessary to provide participating |
|
|
students with sufficient preparation for enrollment in |
|
|
participating medical schools; |
|
|
(3) select a faculty director or an academic or health |
|
|
professions advisor to assist in implementing the program at the |
|
|
institution and in implementing or expanding the institution's |
|
|
degree programs as necessary under Subdivision (2); and |
|
|
(4) provide a scholarship to a participating student |
|
|
in the amount required for a participating student attending a |
|
|
general academic teaching institution, but not to exceed the amount |
|
|
of tuition and fees that the student is charged. |
|
|
SECTION 7. Subsection (a), Section 51.833, Education Code, |
|
|
is amended to read as follows: |
|
|
(a) The council may accept a gift, grant, devise, or bequest |
|
|
of money, securities, service, or property to carry out any purpose |
|
|
of this subchapter, including funds raised or services provided by |
|
|
a volunteer or volunteer group to promote the work of the council. |
|
|
The council's administrative staff may participate in the |
|
|
establishment and operation of an affiliated nonprofit |
|
|
organization whose purpose is to raise funds for or provide |
|
|
services or other benefits to the council [solicit and accept gifts
|
|
|
and grants from any public or private source for the purposes of
|
|
|
this subchapter]. |
|
|
SECTION 8. Section 51.832, Education Code, is repealed. |
|
|
SECTION 9. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to |
|
|
an application for admission to the Joint Admission Medical Program |
|
|
filed on or after the effective date of this Act. |
|
|
SECTION 10. This Act takes effect immediately if it |
|
|
receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each |
|
|
house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. |
|
|
If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate |
|
|
effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2007. |
|
|
|
|
|
* * * * * |