81R12897 JRJ-D

By: King of Taylor H.B. No. 3714

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to public school career and technology education program curriculum and funding and to development of a list of high-demand occupations for career and technology education students.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 28.002, Education Code, is amended by adding Subsection (d) to read as follows:

(d) Each time the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board revises the Internet database of the coordinating board's official statewide inventory of workforce education courses, the State Board of Education shall by rule revise the essential knowledge and skills of any corresponding career and technology education curriculum as provided by Subsection (c).

SECTION 2. Subchapter F, Chapter 29, Education Code, is amended by adding Section 29.186 to read as follows:

Sec. 29.186. HIGH-DEMAND OCCUPATIONS LIST. (a) The Texas Workforce Commission shall develop, in consultation with the Texas Workforce Investment Council, a list of high-demand, high-wage, high-skill occupations in this state that have industry certifications. The Texas Workforce Commission shall provide the research and technical support for developing the list under this subsection.

(b) The Texas Workforce Investment Council shall consider the list developed under Subsection (a) and approve a list for submission to the commissioner. On approval of the list, the Texas Workforce Investment Council shall deliver the list to the commissioner.

(c) The commissioner of education, after consultation with the commissioner of higher education, shall consider the list delivered under Subsection (b) and approve a final list of high-demand, high-wage, high-skill occupations in this state that have industry certifications.

(d) The list of high-demand, high-wage, high-skill occupations in this state that have industry certifications shall be reviewed and approved under the process provided by this section every four years.

SECTION 3. Sections 29.190(a) and (c), Education Code, are amended to read as follows:

(a) A student is entitled to a subsidy under this section if:

(1) the student:

(A) [(1)] successfully completes the career and technology program of a school district in which the student receives training and instruction for employment in a high-demand, high-wage, or high-skill [certain] trade or occupation, as determined under Section 29.186; or

(B) the student is enrolled in a special education program under Subchapter A; and

(2) passes a certification examination to qualify for a license or certificate for the trade or occupation [; and

[(3) demonstrates financial need].

(c) On approval by the commissioner, the agency shall pay each eligible student an amount equal to the cost paid by the student for the certification examination. To obtain a subsidy under this section, a student must:

(1) pay the fee for the examination; and

(2) submit to the commissioner a written application on a form prescribed by the commissioner [demonstrating financial need and] the amount of the fee paid by the student for the certification examination.

SECTION 4. Section 42.154(a), Education Code, is amended to read as follows:

(a) For each full-time equivalent student in average daily attendance in an approved career and technology education program in grades nine through 12 or in career and technology education programs for students with disabilities in grades seven through 12, a district is entitled to:

(1) an annual allotment equal to the adjusted basic allotment multiplied by a weight of 1.35; and

(2) $50, if the student is enrolled in:

(A) two or more advanced career and technology education classes for a total of three or more credits; or

(B) an advanced course as part of a tech-prep program under Subchapter T, Chapter 61.

SECTION 5. Section 54.0065(a), Education Code, is amended to read as follows:

(a) A qualified student is eligible for a rebate of a portion of the undergraduate tuition the student has paid if the student:

(1) is awarded a baccalaureate degree from a general academic teaching institution within the period prescribed by Section 56.462(1)(A) or (B), as applicable, to qualify for forgiveness of a Texas B-On-time loan; and

(2) has attempted no more than three hours in excess of the minimum number of semester credit hours required to complete the degree program:

(A) including:

(i) transfer credits; and

(ii) course credit earned exclusively by examination, except that, for purposes of this subsection, only the number of semester credit hours earned exclusively by examination in excess of nine semester credit hours is treated as hours attempted; and

(B) excluding course credit that is earned to satisfy requirements for a Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program or from a dual credit course for which the student received credit toward a high school diploma but that is not required to complete the degree program.

SECTION 6. Section 61.0595(d), Education Code, is amended to read as follows:

(d) The following are not counted for purposes of determining whether the student has previously earned the number of semester credit hours specified by Subsection (a):

(1) semester credit hours earned by the student before receiving a baccalaureate degree that has previously been awarded to the student;

(2) semester credit hours earned by the student by examination or under any other procedure by which credit is earned without registering for a course for which tuition is charged;

(3) credit for a remedial education course, a technical course, a workforce education course funded according to contact hours, a dual credit course for which the student received credit toward a high school diploma, or another course that does not count toward the student's specific [a] degree program [at the institution]; and

(4) semester credit hours earned by the student at a private institution or an out-of-state institution.

SECTION 7. Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding Subchapter T-1 to read as follows:

SUBCHAPTER T-1. CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION

Sec. 61.861. DEVELOPMENT OF MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE COURSES FOR HIGH-DEMAND OCCUPATIONS. (a) The commissioner of higher education, in consultation with the comptroller and the Texas Workforce Commission, may award a grant in an amount not to exceed $1 million to an institution of higher education to develop advanced mathematics and science courses to prepare high school students for employment in a high-demand occupation. The commissioner of higher education, the comptroller, and the Texas Workforce Commission shall jointly determine what is considered a high-demand occupation for purposes of this subchapter.

(b) An institution of higher education shall work in partnership with at least one independent school district and a business entity in developing a course for purposes of this section.

(c) A course developed for purposes of this section must:

(1) provide content that enables a student to develop the relevant and critical skills needed to be prepared for employment or additional training in a high-demand occupation;

(2) incorporate college and career readiness skills as part of the curriculum;

(3) be offered for dual credit; and

(4) satisfy a mathematics or science requirement under the recommended or advanced high school program as determined under Section 28.025.

(d) An institution of higher education shall periodically review and revise the curriculum for a course developed for purposes of this section to accommodate changes in industry standards for the high-demand occupation.

Sec. 61.862. GRANT APPLICATION CRITERIA. The commissioner of higher education, in consultation with the comptroller and the Texas Workforce Commission, shall establish application criteria for a grant under this subchapter and in making an award, shall give priority to courses that:

(1) will prepare students for high-demand, high-wage, and high-skill occupations;

(2) may be transferred as college credit to multiple institutions of higher education; and

(3) are developed as part of a sequence of courses that includes statewide availability of the instructional materials and training for the courses at a nominal cost to public educational institutions in this state.

Sec. 61.863. USE OF FUNDS. An institution of higher education may use funds awarded under this section to develop, in connection with a course described by Subsection (a):

(1) curriculum;

(2) assessments; or

(3) instructional materials, including technology-based supplemental materials.

Sec. 61.864. REVIEW OF COURSES. Courses developed for which a grant is awarded under this subchapter shall be reviewed by the commissioner of higher education, in consultation with the comptroller and the Texas Workforce Commission, once every four years to determine whether the course:

(1) is being used by public educational institutions in this state; and

(2) prepares high school students with the skills necessary for employment in the high-demand occupation.

Sec. 61.865. MATCHING CONTRIBUTION REQUIRED. An institution of higher education awarded a grant under this subchapter must obtain from one or more business entities in the industry for which students taking courses developed under Section 61.861 are training, in a total amount equal to the amount of the state grant:

(1) gifts, grants, or donations of funds; or

(2) contributions of property that may be used in providing the courses.

Sec. 61.866. LIMITATION ON TOTAL AMOUNT OF GRANTS. In any state fiscal biennium, the total amount of grants awarded under this subchapter may not exceed $10 million.

Sec. 61.867. FUNDING OF GRANTS. The commissioner of higher education shall administer this subchapter using available appropriations and gifts, grants, and donations made for the purposes of this subchapter.

SECTION 8. Section 29.190(b), Education Code, is repealed.

SECTION 9. The change in law made by this Act to Section 54.0065(a), Education Code, applies to a tuition rebate regardless of the date a student enters a general academic teaching institution as a first-time freshman.

SECTION 10. The change in law made by this Act to Section 61.0595, Education Code, applies beginning with the funding recommendations made under Section 61.059, Education Code, for the 2011-2012 academic year.

SECTION 11. Sections 3 and 4 of this Act apply beginning with the 2009-2010 school year.

SECTION 12. 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, 2009.