Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

      
            88R7131 MM-D
         
		By: Men ndez
            S.B. No. 1796
         
               A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
            
               AN ACT
            
            relating to establishing a social work recruitment and retention 
         
            program administered by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating 
         
            Board.
         
                   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         
                   SECTION 1.  Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding 
         
            Subchapter LL to read as follows:
         
            SUBCHAPTER LL. SOCIAL WORK RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION PROGRAM
         
                   Sec. 61.9851.  DEFINITION.  In this subchapter, "program" 
         
            means the social work intern practicum stipend (SWIPS) program.
         
                   Sec. 61.9852.  ESTABLISHMENT AND ADMINISTRATION OF PROGRAM.  
         
            The board shall establish and administer a social work recruitment 
         
            and retention program to provide an intern practicum stipend to 
         
            assist students at institutions of higher education in obtaining 
         
            field hours necessary for program coursework related to completing 
         
            a bachelor's or master's degree in social work.
         
                   Sec. 61.9853.  ELIGIBILITY; PRIORITY OF APPLICANTS.  (a)  To 
         
            be eligible to receive a stipend under the program, a student must:
         
                         (1)  apply to the board in the form and manner 
         
            prescribed by board rule;
         
                         (2)  be enrolled at an institution of higher education 
         
            in an educational program that is accredited by the Council on 
         
            Social Work Education leading to a bachelor's or master's degree in 
         
            social work;
         
                         (3)  be accepted into a practicum placement approved by 
         
            the board for purposes of the program;
         
                         (4)  enter into a written agreement with the board as 
         
            provided by board rule; and
         
                         (5)  satisfy any other criteria prescribed by board 
         
            rule.
         
                   (b)  The board shall establish a method for prioritizing 
         
            applicants for practicum stipends in the event the total amount of 
         
            money available to provide stipends under this subchapter for an 
         
            academic year is not sufficient to provide a stipend to each 
         
            applicant who is eligible under Subsection (a). The priority 
         
            criteria must include:
         
                         (1)  qualification for need-based aid based on free 
         
            application for federal student aid (FAFSA) indicators; and
         
                         (2)  practicum placement in a mental health 
         
            professional shortage area designated by the Department of State 
         
            Health Services.
         
                   Sec. 61.9854.  PRACTICUM STIPEND AWARDS.  (a)  The amount of  
         
            a practicum stipend award to which an eligible student is entitled 
         
            is an amount equal to:
         
                         (1)  for a student enrolled in a bachelor's degree 
         
            program, $15 per hour for each hour of supervised field hours in an 
         
            approved practicum program, not to exceed a total of $6,000; or
         
                         (2)  for a student enrolled in a master's degree 
         
            program, $20 per hour for each hour of supervised field hours in an 
         
            approved practicum program, not to exceed a total of $9,000.
         
                   (b)  Each academic year, the board shall provide money for 
         
            the practicum stipends to institutions of higher education with 
         
            Council on Social Work Education-accredited educational programs 
         
            based on the institution's anticipated need. Each institution shall 
         
            determine the timeline and procedure for distributing the money for 
         
            that academic year to eligible students based on the board's 
         
            priority criteria adopted under Section 61.9853(b), if applicable.
         
                   (c)  An institution of higher education shall remit to the 
         
            board any unused money received by the institution under the 
         
            program for an academic year as soon as practicable following that 
         
            academic year.
         
                   Sec. 61.9855.  PRIORITY OF INSTITUTIONS.  The board shall 
         
            establish a method for prioritizing institutions of higher 
         
            education for distribution of practicum stipends in the event the 
         
            total amount of money available to provide stipends under this 
         
            subchapter for an academic year is not sufficient to provide  money 
         
            for stipends at each institution described by Section 61.9854(b). 
         
            The priority criteria shall include:
         
                         (1)  serving a high percentage of students who qualify 
         
            for need-based aid based on free application for federal student 
         
            aid (FAFSA) indicators;
         
Statutes affected: 
Introduced:  ()



	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
	AN ACT
	relating to establishing a social work recruitment and retention
	program administered by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating
	Board.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
	SECTION 1. Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding
	Subchapter LL to read as follows:
	SUBCHAPTER LL. SOCIAL WORK RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION PROGRAM
	Sec. 61.9851. DEFINITION. In this subchapter, "program"
	means the social work intern practicum stipend (SWIPS) program.
	Sec. 61.9852. ESTABLISHMENT AND ADMINISTRATION OF PROGRAM.
	The board shall establish and administer a social work recruitment
	and retention program to provide an intern practicum stipend to
	assist students at institutions of higher education in obtaining
	field hours necessary for program coursework related to completing
	a bachelor's or master's degree in social work.
	Sec. 61.9853. ELIGIBILITY; PRIORITY OF APPLICANTS. (a) To
	be eligible to receive a stipend under the program, a student must:
	(1) apply to the board in the form and manner
	prescribed by board rule;
	(2) be enrolled at an institution of higher education
	in an educational program that is accredited by the Council on
	Social Work Education leading to a bachelor's or master's degree in
	social work;
	(3) be accepted into a practicum placement approved by
	the board for purposes of the program;
	(4) enter into a written agreement with the board as
	provided by board rule; and
	(5) satisfy any other criteria prescribed by board
	rule.
	(b) The board shall establish a method for prioritizing
	applicants for practicum stipends in the event the total amount of
	money available to provide stipends under this subchapter for an
	academic year is not sufficient to provide a stipend to each
	applicant who is eligible under Subsection (a). The priority
	criteria must include:
	(1) qualification for need-based aid based on free
	application for federal student aid (FAFSA) indicators; and
	(2) practicum placement in a mental health
	professional shortage area designated by the Department of State
	Health Services.
	Sec. 61.9854. PRACTICUM STIPEND AWARDS. (a) The amount of
	a practicum stipend award to which an eligible student is entitled
	is an amount equal to:
	(1) for a student enrolled in a bachelor's degree
	program, $15 per hour for each hour of supervised field hours in an
	approved practicum program, not to exceed a total of $6,000; or
	(2) for a student enrolled in a master's degree
	program, $20 per hour for each hour of supervised field hours in an
	approved practicum program, not to exceed a total of $9,000.
	(b) Each academic year, the board shall provide money for
	the practicum stipends to institutions of higher education with
	Council on Social Work Education-accredited educational programs
	based on the institution's anticipated need. Each institution shall
	determine the timeline and procedure for distributing the money for
	that academic year to eligible students based on the board's
	priority criteria adopted under Section 61.9853(b), if applicable.
	(c) An institution of higher education shall remit to the
	board any unused money received by the institution under the
	program for an academic year as soon as practicable following that
	academic year.
	Sec. 61.9855. PRIORITY OF INSTITUTIONS. The board shall
	establish a method for prioritizing institutions of higher
	education for distribution of practicum stipends in the event the
	total amount of money available to provide stipends under this
	subchapter for an academic year is not sufficient to provide money
	for stipends at each institution described by Section 61.9854(b).
	The priority criteria shall include:
	(1) serving a high percentage of students who qualify
	for need-based aid based on free application for federal student
	aid (FAFSA) indicators;
	Statutes affected: Introduced: ()