By: Burns H.B. No. 4605       A BILL TO BE ENTITLED   AN ACT   relating to the establishment of the Texas Leadership Scholars   Program to serve as a merit-based scholarship and leadership   opportunity for high-achieving, emerging leaders with financial   need.          BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:          SECTION 1.  Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding   Subchapter N to read as follows:   SUBCHAPTER N. TEXAS LEADERSHIP SCHOLARS PROGRAM          Sec. 61.751.  DEFINITION. In this subchapter, "program"   means the Texas Leadership Scholars Program established under this   subchapter.          Sec. 61.752.  INITIATIVE:  ESTABLISHMENT; ADMINISTRATION;   PURPOSE.          (a)  The Texas Leadership Scholars Program is established.          (b)  The board shall establish and administer, using funds   appropriated or otherwise available for the purpose, scholarships   for high-achieving, low-income students, and academic achievement   support and leadership development for student awarded program   scholarships.          (c)  To qualify for a scholarship under this section, a   student must:                (1)  be eligible for automatic admission in a general   academic teaching institution pursuant to Section 51.803 or be   nominated by their school district and have achieved another   academic distinction recognized by the Board; and                (2)  be considered economically disadvantaged as   determined by board rule; and                (3)  maintain a minimum overall grade point average at   a general academic teaching institution as determined by board   rule.          (d)  The board may enter into agreements with general   academic teaching institutions or other agencies of higher   education to provide students in the program with research-based   support to make satisfactory academic progress, graduate on-time   and engage in leadership development opportunities, including but   not limited to program cohort learning communities, mentoring,   research and internship opportunities, networking with state   government, business, and civic leaders, and statewide cohort   learning institutes or seminars.          Sec. 61.753.  GRANTS, GIFTS, AND DONATIONS. The board may   solicit, accept, and spend grants, gifts, and donations from any   public or private source for the purposes of this subchapter.          Sec. 61.754.  RULES. The board shall adopt rules for the   administration of this subchapter, including rules providing for   the determination of scholarship amount, student scholarship   eligibility, satisfactory academic progress criteria, and program   administration.          SECTION 2.  (a) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating   Board shall adopt rules to administer Subchapter N, Chapter 61,   Education Code, as added by this Act, as soon as practicable after   the effective date of this Act.          SECTION 3.  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.