BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	S.B. 1019
	By: Zaffirini
	Higher Education
	6/8/2021
	Enrolled

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

Student loans are the largest single form of consumer debt in the United States other than mortgage debt. More than 3.3 million Texans owe some student loan debt, with the average borrower owing $32,800 in loans. How student loan debt is dispersed and experienced is less clear.

As part of its annual reporting, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board reports the percent of students per institution graduating with debts and the average amount of debt they have. This information currently is not available disaggregated, however, which poses challenges to policymakers seeking to address this issue in a targeted way.

S.B. 1019 would require the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, in its annual financial aid report, to include a breakdown of student loan data disaggregated by race, ethnicity, sex, degree type, and enrollment status, including whether the student has graduated. This would provide much greater clarity about the state of student loan debt in Texas and empower lawmakers and institutional leaders to create more targeted interventions to alleviate debt burdens.

S.B. 1019 amends current law relating to a requirement for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to report certain student loan data.

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 C, Chapter 61, Education Code, by adding Section 61.07764, as follows:

Sec. 61.07764. ANNUAL REPORT REGARDING STUDENT LOAN DATA. (a) Requires the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) to include in its annual report on financial aid in this state a breakdown of student loan data disaggregated by race, ethnicity, sex, degree type, and enrollment status, including whether the student has graduated.

(b) Requires THECB, for the data reported under Subsection (a), to provide an explanation of any limitation on the scope and accuracy of the data.

SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 2021. �