82R1477 JRJ-D
 
  By: Martinez H.B. No. 67
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to the creation of a literacy center pilot program by the
  Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, is
  amended by adding Section 61.0621 to read as follows:
         Sec. 61.0621.  LITERACY CENTER PILOT PROGRAM. (a) The board
  shall establish a pilot program to establish a literacy center as a
  model for institutions of higher education. To implement and
  administer the program, the board shall choose a public junior
  college campus that:
               (1)  is located in a county with a population of at
  least 300,000 and has a high need for literacy services;
               (2)  is considered to be a center for intellectual
  activity in the region of the state in which the junior college
  district that operates the campus is located; and
               (3)  has an established reading committee on the campus
  that has participated in literacy and reading projects with other
  entities in the community.
         (b)  The literacy center pilot program shall:
               (1)  emphasize advanced literacy, enhance reading
  skills, and encourage voluntary reading;
               (2)  imbed reading throughout the curriculum;
               (3)  provide training to faculty concerning the
  purposes of the program;
               (4)  have a primary focus on students of the
  institution of higher education;
               (5)  provide outreach to local schools and the
  community; and
               (6)  incorporate and coordinate with other national
  efforts and programs in literacy, which may include those that
  focus on science, health and wellness, civics, business and
  finance, technology, sustainability and the environment,
  philosophy, ethics, religion, and literature and the arts.
         (c)  The public junior college campus chosen by the board
  shall cooperate with community libraries, local school districts,
  and other local entities to implement and administer the program.
         (d)  The board shall allocate funds appropriated for
  purposes of this section to support the pilot program.
         (e)  Not later than January 1, 2013, the governing board of
  the junior college district that operates the campus selected to
  administer the literacy center pilot program shall report to the
  chairs of the standing committees of each house of the legislature
  with jurisdiction over education. The report must include
  information regarding the progress made in improving the literacy
  of students on the campus that participated in the program and in
  the community, and include recommendations for establishing
  similar programs at other institutions of higher education.
         (f)  This section expires September 1, 2013.
         SECTION 2.  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, 2011.