89R26624 JTZ-D

By: Wilson H.B. No. 5154

Substitute the following for H.B. No. 5154:

By: Shofner C.S.H.B. No. 5154

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the Joint Admission Medical Program Council.

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

SECTION 1. Section 51.822, Education Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 51.822. JOINT ADMISSION MEDICAL PROGRAM. The Joint Admission Medical Program is a program administered by the Joint Admission Medical Program Council to:

(1) provide services, including mentoring, academic support, and counseling and relief, to support and encourage highly qualified, economically disadvantaged students pursuing a medical education to complete a medical degree and meet state workforce needs;

(2) award undergraduate and graduate scholarships and summer stipends to those students; [and]

(3) guarantee and facilitate the admission of those students to at least one participating medical school, subject to the conditions under Section 51.827 and under other provisions of this subchapter;

(4) align statewide educational and workforce goals to increase medical jobs and stop workforce shortages; and

(5) promote the accessibility and equality of medical education by addressing statewide barriers to entry and participation for economically disadvantaged communities.

SECTION 2. Section 51.823, Education Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 51.823. COMPOSITION OF COUNCIL. (a) The participating medical schools shall jointly establish the Joint Admission Medical Program Council. The council shall consist [consisting] of one faculty member employed by and representing each of the participating medical schools.

(c) The council shall select one of its members to serve as council chair for a term of two years. The chair shall:

(1) facilitate council meetings;

(2) ensure compliance with program goals; and

(3) represent the council in interactions with relevant stakeholders, including the Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service and legislative committees.

(d) The council shall establish clear policies to ensure effective communication among council members, including:

(1) procedures for convening regular meetings to review program implementation and evaluate outcomes;

(2) protocols for disseminating an agenda or report before a meeting;

(3) mechanisms for soliciting feedback from council members to promote transparency and collaboration; and

(4) procedures for promoting public meetings to students.

SECTION 3. Subchapter V, Chapter 51, Education Code, is amended by adding Section 51.8235 to read as follows:

Sec. 51.8235. COUNCIL MEETINGS. The council shall provide notice of each council meeting, which must:

(1) be posted in a place readily accessible and available to the general public at all times for at least 72 hours before the scheduled time of the meeting; and

(2) include sufficient detail regarding the meeting's agenda to inform participants and the general public of the topics to be discussed or decided.

SECTION 4. Section 51.824(a), Education Code, is amended to read as follows:

(a) The council shall:

(1) recruit eligible undergraduate students for admission to the program;

(2) establish an application process for admitting eligible undergraduate students to the program;

(3) evaluate applications for admission to the program according to the procedures for selecting participating students under Subsection (b) and for selecting program alternates under Section 51.8245;

(4) monitor the implementation of the program;

(5) assist in developing services to support and encourage the pursuit of a medical education by participating students and program alternates;

(6) establish a process for participating students to:

(A) be matched to an internship program as described by Subsection (c);

(B) be matched to any required undergraduate mentoring program as described by Subsection (d);

(C) apply for admission to participating medical schools;

(D) be matched to a participating medical school as described by Subsection (e); and

(E) enroll in that school;

(7) award to participating students undergraduate scholarships and summer stipends, including a summer stipend for a student who is required to participate in an internship program in the summer immediately following the student's senior year;

(8) award graduate scholarships to participating students;

(9) enter into an agreement with each student admitted to the program, each program alternate, each participating medical school, and each general academic teaching institution or private or independent institution of higher education as required by this subchapter; [and]

(10) pursue opportunities to increase scholarship money allocated to participating students to at least 30 percent of the total amount appropriated for purposes of the program without impeding the implementation of other program functions and goals, including:

(A) coordinating efforts with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to request additional legislative appropriations;

(B) soliciting gifts, grants, and donations under Section 51.833; and

(C) collaborating with private foundations, corporations, and entities to secure supplemental funding; and

(11) take any other action necessary to implement the program.

SECTION 5. Section 51.834, Education Code, is amended by amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (c) to read as follows:

(b) The report must contain detailed information regarding:

(1) any problems the council identifies in implementing the program, including external or internal challenges, deficiencies, or obstacles, with recommended solutions for those problems, including recommendations for legislative action to streamline and enhance the implementation of the program;

(2) an accounting of all [the expenditure of any] money received under this subchapter, including:

(A) legislative appropriations and private funding sources;

(B) breakdowns of disbursements;

(C) the specific purposes for which money was used; and

(D) a statement of the ending balance and any unobligated and unexpended money remaining for the state fiscal year; [and]

(3) the total number of students who are admitted to the program;

(4) the number of students who are admitted to the program and who are enrolled in each year of a baccalaureate, graduate, or professional degree program offered by:

(A) a general academic teaching institution;

(B) [,] a private or independent institution of higher education; [,] or

(C) a participating medical school, as applicable;

(5) the number of students, disaggregated by year of enrollment, who, while enrolled in a baccalaureate, graduate, or professional degree program at a general academic teaching institution, private or independent institution of higher education, or participating medical school, as applicable:

(A) were dismissed or withdrawn from the program by the council;

(B) were placed on probation by the council; or

(C) voluntarily withdrew from the program;

(6) enrollment, withdrawal, and disciplinary data for students described by Subdivision (5) for each academic year of a baccalaureate, graduate, or professional degree program at a general academic teaching institution, private or independent institution of higher education, or participating medical school;

(7) expenditures for graduate scholarships awarded to participating medical students, including:

(A) the amount awarded and disbursed to each participating medical student;

(B) if there is unobligated and unexpended money that may be spent on graduate scholarships at the end of a state fiscal year, the reason why that money was not spent;

(C) any constraints delaying the reallocation of unobligated money to medical school scholarship recipients, including institutional policies; and

(D) a plan for applying or reallocating unobligated money in a manner that ensures accountability and sustainability;

(8) an estimate of the total amount of program funding required for the next state fiscal biennium to maintain enrollment and operations and increase the graduate scholarship amount for medical school scholarship recipients, including requirements under Section 51.824, including:

(A) projections based on current and anticipated scholarship demands;

(B) recommendations for appropriations specifying the additional money needed; and

(C) a formal request or petition for supplemental funding to ensure the program's financial stability and capacity to meet future demands;

(9) the amount of gifts, grants, and donations received under Section 51.833; and

(10) any notes, agendas, minutes, and reports made in regard to council meetings, including:

(A) the dates, times, and locations of all council meetings;

(B) measures to ensure that students participating in the program are informed of upcoming council meetings in a timely and accessible manner, including through direct communication;

(C) provisions to allow student participation in the council meetings, including:

(i) opportunities for students to attend meetings as observers, witnesses, and participants; and

(ii) procedures for soliciting student feedback and input before the adoption of significant decisions regarding the program; and

(D) policies to ensure the council does not violate Chapter 551, Government Code.

(c) All data reported under this section must be:

(1) disaggregated by the type of institution and academic year; and

(2) reported in a manner that ensures compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (20 U.S.C. Section 1232g).

SECTION 6. Subchapter V, Chapter 51, Education Code, is amended by adding Section 51.835 to read as follows:

Sec. 51.835. ONLINE FEEDBACK PORTAL. (a) The council shall develop and maintain a secure online portal to allow students in the program to submit anonymous or identified recommendations and complaints regarding the program. The portal must:

(1) ensure anonymity for all submissions submitted anonymously, using encryption and other privacy safeguards to protect the identity of the student making the submission;

(2) be accessible through different platforms, including mobile devices; and

(3) use an intuitive and user-friendly interface to encourage participation and ease of use.

(b) The council shall review complaints or recommendations submitted through the online portal on a regular basis to identify potential areas for improvement.

(c) A complaint or recommendation submitted through the online portal must be:

(1) shared with the Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service and other relevant stakeholders, as authorized by law; and

(2) compiled into a report to be:

(A) included in the council's report under Section 51.834;

(B) posted on the council's Internet website; and

(C) submitted to participating students and the standing legislative committees with primary jurisdiction over higher education.

(d) The council shall establish procedures to ensure that complaints and recommendations submitted through the online portal are addressed in a timely and transparent manner, including by developing:

(1) a tracking system to monitor the resolution of complaints and recommendations;

(2) a mechanism to categorize submissions by topic and urgency to prioritize responses effectively; and

(3) a process for notifying a student of actions taken in response to the student's complaint or recommendation, excluding information that would violate a student's expectation of privacy.

(e) The council shall promote the online portal to participating students, including by providing information during student orientation, via e-mail, and through the program's Internet website.

SECTION 7. 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, 2025.