Bill

SB 22

85(R) - 2017
Senate Education
Senate Education

Vote Recommendation

Neutral
  • Neutral
  • Neutral
  • Neutral
  • Neutral
  • Neutral

Author(s)

Larry Taylor

Co-Author(s)

Brandon Creighton
Robert Nichols
Kirk Watson

Sponsor(s)

Eddie Lucio III

Bill Caption

Relating to the establishment of a Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) program and to the repeal of the tech-prep program.

Fiscal Notes

Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for SB22, Committee Report 1st House, Substituted: a negative impact of ($4,965,806) through the biennium ending August 31, 2019. The bill would make no appropriation but could provide the legal basis for an appropriation of funds to implement the provisions of the bill.

Bill Analysis

Under current law, the state established a technological program (TECH-Prep Education) that works alongside secondary education to train students in the technological field and is funded through grants and allotments. This bill would abolish the current TECH-Prep Education program and establish another system in its place called the Pathways in Technology Early College High School program or P-TECH. It would be designed to work with High schools to give students marketable skills in the field of technology. This bill tasks the Texas Higher Education Board with creating rules for this program. 

Those who complete this program will receive a high school diploma and an associate degree, a two-year post degree certification, or an industry certification.

Vote Recommendation Notes

This bill is just replacing one technological program with another. Though we do appreciate and support programs that are geared more toward job readiness in education, more so than teaching to tests, because this is a bill that replaces one program with another, this has no direct connection to our liberty principles. Therefore, we remain neutral on this bill.