By: Paul, Tepper (Senate Sponsor - Bettencourt) H.B. No. 2920          (In the Senate - Received from the House May 1, 2023;   May 1, 2023, read first time and referred to Committee on   Education; May 18, 2023, reported adversely, with favorable   Committee Substitute by the following vote:  Yeas 12, Nays 0;   May 18, 2023, sent to printer.)Click here to see the committee vote     COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR H.B. No. 2920 By:  Springer     A BILL TO BE ENTITLED   AN ACT     relating to the distribution, posting, or provision of information   regarding postsecondary education and career opportunities and to   the confidentiality of certain information relating to persons   provided assistance in accessing postsecondary education.          BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:          SECTION 1.  Section 7.040(a), Education Code, is amended 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 made publicly available in a manner that   is accessible [given] to any [a] public or private school student   seeking [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 using   information included in the electronic tools or platforms developed   by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board under Section   61.09022(a) [regarding:                      [(A)  the relative cost of tuition;                      [(B)  the retention rate of students;                      [(C)  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 starting wage information and   educational requirements for the top 25 [10] highest demand jobs in   this state, as identified by the Texas Workforce Commission;                (5)  identify the 40 baccalaureate degree programs with   the highest average annual wages following graduation; and                (6)  identify the 20 associate degree or certificate   programs with the highest average annual wages following   graduation.          SECTION 2.  Section 51.762(b-1), Education Code, is amended   to read as follows:          (b-1)  An electronic common admission application form   adopted under this section must include a prominent link to the   electronic tools or platforms developed by the board under Section   61.09022 [comparative gainful employment data regarding   institutions of higher education, including information described   by Section 7.040, on a website maintained by the board using data   compiled by the board in coordination with the Texas Workforce   Commission].          SECTION 3.  Section 51.763(b), Education Code, is amended to   read as follows:          (b)  The form must:                (1)  allow each applicant to:                      (A)  apply electronically to one or more of the   general academic teaching institutions within the university   system; and                      (B)  indicate preferences for admission between   those institutions; and                (2)  include a prominent link to the electronic tools   or platforms developed by the board under Section 61.09022   [comparative gainful employment data regarding institutions of   higher education, including information described by Section   7.040, on a website maintained by the board using data compiled by   the board in coordination with the Texas Workforce Commission].          SECTION 4.  The heading to Section 61.031, Education Code,   is amended to read as follows:          Sec. 61.031.  PUBLIC [INTEREST] INFORMATION AND COMPLAINTS.          SECTION 5.  Section 61.031, Education Code, is amended by   adding Subsection (d) to read as follows:          (d)  Notwithstanding any other provision of law, information   that relates to a current, former, or prospective applicant or   student of an educational institution and that is obtained,   received, or held by the board for the purpose of providing   assistance with access to postsecondary education is confidential   and excepted from disclosure under Chapter 552, Government Code,   and may only be released in conformity with the Family Educational   Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (20 U.S.C. Section 1232g). The board   may withhold information prohibited from being disclosed under this   subsection without requesting a decision from the attorney general   under Subchapter G, Chapter 552, Government Code.          SECTION 6.  Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, is   amended by adding Section 61.09022 to read as follows:          Sec. 61.09022.  INFORMATION TO ASSIST STUDENTS IN ASSESSING   VALUE OF POSTSECONDARY CREDENTIALS. (a) From money appropriated   or otherwise available for the purpose, the board shall develop one   or more electronic tools or platforms to provide information to   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 or private or independent institution of higher education   by comparing each institution with other institutions regarding:                (1)  the relative cost of obtaining the certificate,   degree, or other credential, based on the most recent data   available to the board from the Texas Workforce Commission,   institutions of higher education, the federal government, or any   other source from which the board may obtain reliable data,   including:                      (A)  the cost for each of the following at the 25th   percentile, the median, and the 75th percentile:                            (i)  total cost of attendance;                            (ii)  tuition and fees;                            (iii)  room and board;                            (iv)  books and supplies;                            (v)  transportation; and                            (vi)  other costs; and                      (B)  the estimated net cost remaining after   subtracting from the amount described by Paragraph (A) the average   amount of scholarship and grant aid awarded to the typical student   for the program;                (2)  the value of the certificate, degree, or other   credential as measured by comparing:                      (A)  the median wage earned by students who   graduated with the certificate, degree, or other credential from   the institution; and                      (B)  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 available to the board   from the Texas Workforce Commission, institutions of higher   education, the federal government, or any other source from which   the board may obtain reliable data;                (3)  the average student debt-to-income ratio of   students who graduated with the certificate, degree, or other   credential from the institution and have student debt, including   the estimated monthly student loan payment, computed using the   standard 10-year repayment plan;                (4)  progress on repaying student loans by students who   graduated with the certificate, degree, or other credential from   the institution; and                (5)  educational outcomes for students seeking the   certificate, degree, or other credential, including:                      (A)  for a program designed to be completed in   more than one year, the percentage of students who continue in the   program after the first year of study;                      (B)  the completion rate;                      (C)  the percentage of students who withdraw or   transfer from the institution and subsequently graduate with the   certificate, degree, or other credential from another institution   of higher education or private or independent institution of higher   education;                      (D)  the percentage of students who withdraw from   the institution and do not enroll in the program at another   institution of higher education or private or independent   institution of higher education within three years of the   withdrawal; and                      (E)  the percentage of graduates employed in the   top five industries in this state, as identified by the Texas   Workforce Commission, by certificate program, degree program, or   other credential program within one year of graduation.          (c)  The board may solicit and accept gifts, grants, and   donations from any public or private source to implement this   section.          (d)  The board shall adopt rules as necessary to implement   this section.          SECTION 7.  Section 7.040(c), Education Code, is transferred   to Section 61.09022, Education Code, as added by this Act,   redesignated as Section 61.09022(b), Education Code, and amended to   read as follows:          (b) [(c)]  Each institution of higher education shall   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 electronic tools or platforms developed by the board   [information posted on the agency's Internet website] under   Subsection (a).          SECTION 8.  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 included in the electronic tools or   platforms developed by the coordinating board under Section   61.09022(a), Education Code.          SECTION 9.  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.     * * * * *