| 1 | 1 | | 81R4940 KSD-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Villarreal H.B. No. 1242 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to credit toward future coursework for tuition paid to a |
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| 8 | 8 | | public institution of higher education for courses dropped by a |
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| 9 | 9 | | student who is pregnant or gives birth to a child. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 54, Education Code, is |
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| 12 | 12 | | amended by adding Section 54.0066 to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | Sec. 54.0066. CREDIT FOR TUITION PAID BY STUDENT WHO IS |
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| 14 | 14 | | PREGNANT OR GIVES BIRTH. (a) The governing board of an institution |
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| 15 | 15 | | of higher education shall permit a student enrolled in the |
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| 16 | 16 | | institution who drops a course during a term or semester in which |
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| 17 | 17 | | the student is pregnant or gives birth to a child to receive a |
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| 18 | 18 | | credit for any tuition paid by the student for that course, other |
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| 19 | 19 | | than tuition that is refunded to the student. The student may apply |
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| 20 | 20 | | the credit toward the payment of tuition for any courses taken by |
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| 21 | 21 | | the student at the institution during the two years following the |
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| 22 | 22 | | term or semester during which the student dropped the course. |
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| 23 | 23 | | (b) To be eligible for tuition credit under this section, a |
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| 24 | 24 | | student must submit a written request to the institution of higher |
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| 25 | 25 | | education not later than the 90th day after the last day of the term |
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| 26 | 26 | | or semester during which the student dropped the course. |
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| 27 | 27 | | (c) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall |
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| 28 | 28 | | adopt rules for the administration of this section, including a |
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| 29 | 29 | | rule establishing the form to be used by a student to request |
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| 30 | 30 | | tuition credit under this section. The form must require the |
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| 31 | 31 | | signature of the student's treating physician, or of a nurse or |
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| 32 | 32 | | physician assistant under the direct supervision of the physician, |
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| 33 | 33 | | certifying that the student was pregnant or gave birth to a child |
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| 34 | 34 | | during the term or semester during which the student dropped the |
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| 35 | 35 | | course. |
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| 36 | 36 | | SECTION 2. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board |
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| 37 | 37 | | shall adopt the rules required by Section 54.0066, Education Code, |
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| 38 | 38 | | as added by this Act, as soon as practicable after the effective |
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| 39 | 39 | | date of this Act. For that purpose, the coordinating board may |
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| 40 | 40 | | adopt the initial rules in the manner provided by law for emergency |
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| 41 | 41 | | rules. |
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| 42 | 42 | | SECTION 3. Section 54.0066, Education Code, as added by |
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| 43 | 43 | | this Act, applies beginning with the 2009 fall semester. A student |
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| 44 | 44 | | may not receive credit under that section for tuition paid for a |
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| 45 | 45 | | course taken before the 2009 fall semester. |
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| 46 | 46 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 47 | 47 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 48 | 48 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 49 | 49 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 50 | 50 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |
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