Bill Text: TX HB4465 | 2021-2022 | 87th Legislature | Comm Sub
Bill Title: Relating to grants and federal disaster relief funds available to school districts, open-enrollment charter schools, and regional education service centers to provide services to students after a disaster in the state of Texas.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2021-05-24 - Committee report printed and distributed [HB4465 Detail]
Download: Texas-2021-HB4465-Comm_Sub.html
| By: Dutton (Senate Sponsor - Taylor) | H.B. No. 4465 | |
| (In the Senate - Received from the House May 10, 2021; | ||
| May 10, 2021, read first time and referred to Committee on | ||
| Education; May 24, 2021, reported adversely, with favorable | ||
| Committee Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 8, Nays 1; | ||
| May 24, 2021, sent to printer.) | ||
| COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR H.B. No. 4465 | By: Taylor | |
|
|
||
|
|
||
| relating to grants and federal disaster relief funds available to | ||
| school districts, open-enrollment charter schools, and regional | ||
| education service centers to provide services to students after a | ||
| disaster in the state of Texas. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Subchapter Z, Chapter 29, Education Code, is | ||
| amended by adding Sections 29.926 and 29.927 to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 29.926. GRANT PROGRAM REGARDING DISASTERS IMPACTING | ||
| STUDENT INSTRUCTION. (a) From funds available for purposes of this | ||
| section and reserved for the state for administrative purposes | ||
| under Section 313, Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental | ||
| Appropriations Act, 2021 (Div. M, Pub. L. No. 116-260, reprinted in | ||
| note, 20 U.S.C. Section 3401), or the American Rescue Plan Act of | ||
| 2021 (Pub. L. No. 117-2, reprinted in note, 20 U.S.C. Section | ||
| 3401), the commissioner shall establish a grant program to assist | ||
| school districts, open-enrollment charter schools, and regional | ||
| education service centers in overcoming the educational impact | ||
| occurring as a result of a state of disaster as declared by the | ||
| governor under Chapter 418, Government Code. The grant program may | ||
| include: | ||
| (1) extending instructional time; | ||
| (2) broadband grants to ensure that students have | ||
| access to remote instruction; | ||
| (3) innovation in curriculum and instruction; | ||
| (4) improvements in quality of air and water at school | ||
| facilities; | ||
| (5) accelerated learning; and | ||
| (6) comprehensive after-school learning, summer | ||
| learning, or summer enrichment. | ||
| (b) A broadband grant under Subsection (a)(2) may include a | ||
| payment made by the agency, a contractor or subgrantee of the | ||
| agency, a school district, or an open-enrollment charter school to: | ||
| (1) a provider of services or equipment for a student; | ||
| or | ||
| (2) a student's parent to pay a provider of services or | ||
| equipment for the student. | ||
| (c) The commissioner may determine the terms of a grant | ||
| awarded under this section, including: | ||
| (1) limits on the grant amount awarded to a school | ||
| district, open-enrollment charter school, or regional education | ||
| service center; and | ||
| (2) the approved use of grant funds. | ||
| (d) The agency may administer the grant program or contract | ||
| with a regional education service center to administer the grant | ||
| program. | ||
| (e) The commissioner may recover funds not used in | ||
| accordance with the terms of a grant by withholding any state funds | ||
| otherwise due to a school district, open-enrollment charter school, | ||
| or regional education service center that is not complying with the | ||
| terms of the grant. | ||
| (f) The commissioner may seek gifts, grants, and donations | ||
| from any public or private sources, including the federal | ||
| government, for providing grants under this section. | ||
| (g) A decision by the commissioner under this section is | ||
| final and may not be appealed. | ||
| (h) The commissioner may adopt rules to implement this | ||
| section. | ||
| Sec. 29.927. FEDERAL DISASTER RELIEF FUNDS; LOCAL PLAN FOR | ||
| EXPENDITURE OF FUNDS. (a) In this section, "disaster relief funds" | ||
| means federal funds that are: | ||
| (1) made available to the state under: | ||
| (A) Section 313, Coronavirus Response and Relief | ||
| Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (Div. M, Pub. L. No. 116-260, | ||
| reprinted in note, 20 U.S.C. Section 3401); or | ||
| (B) the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Pub. L. | ||
| No. 117-2, reprinted in note, 20 U.S.C. Section 3401); and | ||
| (2) authorized or required to be allocated to local | ||
| education agencies in the state. | ||
| (b) The state shall provide disaster relief funds to school | ||
| districts and charter schools operating under Chapter 12 in | ||
| accordance with the terms of the federal grant program under which | ||
| the funds are received. A waiver of a maintenance of effort | ||
| requirement or other provision of a federal grant requirement does | ||
| not apply to this subsection. | ||
| (c) The board of trustees of a school district or the | ||
| governing body of an open-enrollment charter school that receives | ||
| disaster relief funds under Subsection (b) shall: | ||
| (1) for each school year during which the funds are | ||
| permitted to be expended under the terms of the federal grant | ||
| program under which the funds were received, adopt a local plan | ||
| regarding the expenditure of the funds; | ||
| (2) not later than the beginning of the 2023-2024 | ||
| school year, ensure that students in need of remediation are | ||
| identified and receiving appropriate services to perform at grade | ||
| level; | ||
| (3) use the funds in accordance with all requirements | ||
| established by: | ||
| (A) the federal grant program under which the | ||
| funds were received; or | ||
| (B) the United States Department of Education or | ||
| other appropriate federal authority; | ||
| (4) adopt the local plan under Subdivision (1) at a | ||
| public meeting at which the district or school considers any | ||
| recommendations published by the commissioner regarding the use of | ||
| the funds; and | ||
| (5) submit the district's or school's local plan to the | ||
| agency and consider the agency's comments in adopting the | ||
| district's or school's local plan for the following school year. | ||
| (d) A local plan adopted by a school district or | ||
| open-enrollment charter school under Subsection (c)(1) must | ||
| address: | ||
| (1) local needs for extending instructional time; | ||
| (2) measures to ensure access to remote instruction; | ||
| (3) innovation in curriculum and instruction; | ||
| (4) improvements in quality of air and water at school | ||
| facilities; | ||
| (5) accelerated learning; and | ||
| (6) comprehensive after-school learning, summer | ||
| learning, or summer enrichment. | ||
| (e) Funds provided to a school district or open-enrollment | ||
| charter school under this section may not be used to provide a | ||
| general increase in the district's or school's local salary | ||
| schedule but may be used to provide additional compensation for | ||
| staff providing, supporting, or supervising extended instructional | ||
| time. | ||
| (f) The agency shall make publicly available on the agency's | ||
| Internet website each local plan adopted by a school district or | ||
| open-enrollment charter school under Subsection (c)(1). | ||
| (g) Nothing in this section may be construed to limit the | ||
| authority of the commissioner or agency to audit or recover funds in | ||
| accordance with federal law. | ||
| (h) This section expires September 1, 2025. | ||
| SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021. | ||
| * * * * * | ||
