BILL ANALYSIS
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Senate Research Center |
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AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
Currently, a student may earn an endorsement on the student's high school diploma and transcript in a variety of categories, including public services. The public services endorsement requires coursework to prepare students for careers in health sciences, education, law enforcement, and culinary arts and hospitality. Mental health careers, however, are not included among the health science-related career pathways under the public services endorsement. As a result, a student who is interested in a health and science career may not know as much about the availability of mental health careers as they do about other health science careers. H.B. 1430 seeks to address this concern and raise awareness of these career possibilities among students.
H.B. 1430 amends the Education Code to require the Texas Education Agency to ensure that any information provided to students relating to health science careers include information regarding mental health professions. The bill also requires a student's diploma and transcript, to the extent that the public services endorsement on the student's diploma and transcript includes information on health science career pathways, to include mental health careers as a possible pathway.
H.B. 1430 amends current law relating to the inclusion of mental health in the public services endorsement on a public school diploma and in information about health science career pathways.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Subchapter B, Chapter 28, Education Code, by adding Section 28.02122, as follows:
Sec. 28.02122. INCLUSION OF MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONS IN HEALTH SCIENCE CAREER INFORMATION. Requires the Texas Education Agency to ensure that any information provided to students relating to health science careers includes information regarding mental health professions. Requires that the information, to the extent that the public services endorsement includes information on health science career pathways, include mental health careers as a possible pathway.
SECTION 2. Amends Section 28.025(c-1), Education Code, to provide that an endorsement under this subsection may be earned in any of certain categories set forth, including in public services, which includes courses directly related to health sciences and occupations, mental health, education and training, law enforcement, and culinary arts and hospitality.
SECTION 3. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2015.