BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

Senate Research Center	H.B. 114
86R1181 MM-D	By: White et al. (Birdwell)
	Veteran Affairs & Border Security
	4/22/2019
	Engrossed

 

 

 

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

 

Veterans, military service members, and students going into the military are sometimes unaware of the availability of college credit awarded for military experience, education, and training obtained during military service. Providing public high school and high school level equivalent students with this information is crucial and necessary.

 

This bill seeks to facilitate greater communication between high school counselors and community colleges, the Texas Workforce Commission, apprenticeship programs in the area, and military recruiters so that they can identify students who are enlisted to join the armed services and provide students with information of how their military service can translate into college credit upon returning to civilian life.

 

H.B. 114 amends current law relating to providing public high school students information regarding the availability of college credit awarded for military experience, education, and training obtained during military service.

 

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 Section 33.007, Education Code, by amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (b-2), as follows:

 

(b) Requires a school counselor, during the first school year a student is enrolled in a high school or at the high school level in an open-enrollment charter school, and again during each year of a student's enrollment in high school or at the high school level, to provide information about postsecondary education to the student and the student's parent or guardian. Requires the information to include information regarding:

 

(1)�(8) makes no changes to these subdivisions;

 

(9)�(10) makes nonsubstantive changes to these subdivisions; and

 

(11) the availability of college credit awarded by institutions of higher education to veterans and military servicemembers for military experience, education, and training obtained during military service as described by the informational materials developed under Section 302.0031(h), Labor Code.

 

(b-2) Requires information provided under Subsection (b)(11) to explain to any student who is enlisted or intends to enlist in the armed forces of the United States the informational materials developed under Section 302.0031(h), Labor Code.

 

SECTION 2. Amends Section 302.0031, Labor Code, by adding Subsection (h) to require the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC), in cooperation with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB), for purposes of Section 33.007(b)(11), Education Code, to develop and annually make available to each school district and each open-enrollment charter school that offers a high school program informational materials regarding the availability of college credit awarded by institutions of higher education to veterans and military servicemembers for military experience, education, and training obtained during military service, including information regarding the program under this section (College Credit For Heroes Program).

 

SECTION 3. Provides that Section 33.007, Education Code, as amended by this Act, applies beginning with the 2020�2021 school year.

 

SECTION 4. Requires TWC, in cooperation with THECB, not later than September 1, 2020, to develop and make available to each school district and each open-enrollment charter school that offers a high school program the informational materials required under Section 302.0031(h), Labor Code, as added by this Act.

 

SECTION 5. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2019.