88R7944 JTZ-F

By: Bettencourt S.B. No. 2068

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the information maintained by the Texas Education Agency regarding postsecondary education and career opportunities.

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

SECTION 1. Section 7.040, Education Code, is amended by amending Subsections (a) and (c) and adding Subsection (a-1) to read as follows:

(a) The agency shall prepare information comparing institutions of higher education in this state and post the information on the agency's Internet website. Information prepared under this section shall be given to any [a] public or private school student who requests the information. The information shall:

(1) identify postsecondary education and career opportunities, including information that states the benefits of four-year and two-year higher education programs, postsecondary technical education, skilled workforce careers, and career education programs;

(2) assist prospective postsecondary students in assessing the value of a certificate program, associate or baccalaureate degree program, or other credential program offered by an institution of higher education by comparing [compare] each institution [of higher education] with other institutions regarding:

(A) the relative cost of obtaining the certificate, degree, or other credential, including:

(i) the total cost of attendance, based on the most recent data released through the United States Department of Education's College Scorecard online tool or a successor tool;

(ii) the total cost of tuition and fees;

(iii) the median cost of room and board;

(iv) the median student debt of students who graduated with the certificate, degree, or other credential from the institution as compared to the median student debt of all students who graduated with the certificate, degree, or other credential, based on the most recent data released through the United States Department of Education's College Scorecard online tool or a successor tool;

(v) the estimated monthly student loan payment, computed using the standard 10-year repayment plan; and

(vi) the percentage of students who fully repay student debt within the standard 10-year repayment period or, if this information is not available for the program, the percentage of students in all certificate programs, degree programs, or other credential programs who fully repay student debt within the standard 10-year repayment period [tuition];

(B) educational outcomes for [the retention rate of] students seeking the certificate, degree, or other credential, including:

(i) the percentage of students who continue in the program after the first year of study;

(ii) the graduation rate; and

(iii) the percentage of graduates employed in a field related to the certificate program, degree program, or other credential program within one year of graduation; and

(C) the median earnings of graduates, expressed as a yearly amount and as a percentage of median student debt, based on the most recent data released through the United States Department of Education's College Scorecard online tool or a successor tool [the graduation rate of students];

[(D) the average student debt;

[(E) the loan repayment rate of students; and

[(F) the employment rate of students;]

(3) identify the state's future workforce needs, as projected by the Texas Workforce Commission; and

(4) include annual wage information for the top 10 highest demand jobs in this state, as identified by the Texas Workforce Commission.

(a-1) The information required under Subsections (a)(2)(A)(i), (iv), and (vi) and (a)(2)(C) must be updated each time new data described by that provision is released through the United States Department of Education's College Scorecard online tool or a successor tool.

(c) Each institution of higher education shall:

(1) include on its Internet website, in a prominent location that is not more than three hyperlinks from the website's home page, a link to the information posted on the agency's Internet website under Subsection (a); and

(2) disclose to a student on the student's enrollment in or transfer to a certificate program, associate or baccalaureate degree program, or other credential program at the institution the information posted on the agency's Internet website under Subsection (a) relating to the program.

SECTION 2. Section 2308A.007, Government Code, is amended by adding Subsection (a-1) to read as follows:

(a-1) A credential library established under this section must include the information described by Section 7.040(a), Education Code.

SECTION 3. (a) As soon as practicable after the effective date of this Act, the Texas Education Agency shall update the information required under Section 7.040(a), Education Code, as amended by this Act.

(b) As soon as practicable after the Texas Education Agency completes the update required by Subsection (a) of this section, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall update the comparative gainful employment data regarding public institutions of higher education required to be maintained by the board under Sections 51.762(b-1) and 51.763(b), Education Code, to include the information required under Section 7.040(a), Education Code, as amended by this Act.

(c) As soon as practicable after the Texas Education Agency completes the update required by Subsection (a) of this section, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Texas Workforce Commission shall jointly update the credential library established under Section 2308A.007, Government Code, to include the information required under Section 7.040(a), Education Code, as amended by this Act.

SECTION 4. 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, 2023.