Texas 2009 - 81st Regular

Texas House Bill HB1848 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	81R6669 KSD-D
2	2	By: Lucio III H.B. No. 1848
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the establishment of a pilot program under which high
8	8	school students may accrue prepaid tuition units at public
9	9	institutions of higher education by completing certain community
10	10	service activities.
11	11	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12	SECTION 1. Subchapter H, Chapter 54, Education Code, is
13	13	amended by adding Section 54.7522 to read as follows:
14	14	Sec. 54.7522. PREPAID TUITION UNIT COMMUNITY SERVICE PILOT
15	15	PROGRAM. (a) In this section:
16	16	(1) "Participating organization" means a nonprofit,
17	17	charitable, or community organization that registers with and is
18	18	approved by the board to participate in the prepaid tuition unit
19	19	community service program under this section.
20	20	(2) "Pilot program" means the prepaid tuition unit
21	21	community service pilot program established under this section.
22	22	(3) "Qualifying community service activity" includes
23	23	work performed by a student for a participating organization, other
24	24	than:
25	25	(A) fund-raising activities;
26	26	(B) political activities;
27	27	(C) any activity for which the student may earn
28	28	course credit; or
29	29	(D) any activity that reduces the work of or
30	30	displaces a current employee of the organization.
31	31	(b) The board by rule shall develop and implement the
32	32	prepaid tuition unit community service pilot program, under which
33	33	students enrolled in grades 7-12 at public schools in participating
34	34	school districts in this state may accrue prepaid tuition units
35	35	under this subchapter for completing qualifying community service
36	36	activities.
37	37	(c) The board, in cooperation with the commissioner of
38	38	education, shall select to participate in the pilot program one
39	39	school district from each of the following geographic regions of
40	40	this state:
41	41	(1) North Texas;
42	42	(2) South Texas;
43	43	(3) East Texas;
44	44	(4) West Texas; and
45	45	(5) Central Texas.
46	46	(d) The school districts selected under Subsection (c) to
47	47	participate in the pilot program must include at least one urban
48	48	district, one rural district, one small district, and one large
49	49	district.
50	50	(e) To participate in the pilot program, a student must
51	51	register with the board, in the manner prescribed by the board, not
52	52	later than 3-1/2 academic years before the student's expected high
53	53	school graduation date.
54	54	(f) Except as provided by Subsection (h)(2), for each hour a
55	55	participating student engages in a qualifying community service
56	56	activity, the student earns a credit in the amount prescribed by the
57	57	board to be applied toward the purchase of tuition units on behalf
58	58	of the student under this subchapter. The hourly amount of the
59	59	credit prescribed under this subsection may not be less than the
60	60	federal minimum hourly wage.
61	61	(g) The board shall act as purchaser under this subchapter
62	62	for each student who participates in the pilot program. In
63	63	purchasing prepaid tuition credits for the student, the board shall
64	64	purchase the type of unit as directed by the student or, if the
65	65	student is a minor, as directed by the student's parents or
66	66	guardian. If the student or the student's parents or guardian does
67	67	not direct the board regarding the type of unit to be purchased, the
68	68	board shall purchase the type of prepaid tuition unit the board
69	69	considers appropriate.
70	70	(h) Each participating student:
71	71	(1) is responsible for securing the student's
72	72	placement with a participating organization; and
73	73	(2) may accrue prepaid tuition units under this
74	74	section for qualifying community service activities performed by
75	75	the student for one or more participating organizations, except
76	76	that the student:
77	77	(A) must perform at least 50 hours of qualifying
78	78	community service activities before any tuition unit may be
79	79	purchased on behalf of the student under this section; and
80	80	(B) may not accrue tuition units under this
81	81	section for qualifying community service activities performed by
82	82	the student for one or more participating organizations in excess
83	83	of 250 hours per year.
84	84	(i) Notwithstanding any other provision of this subchapter,
85	85	a student:
86	86	(1) may redeem tuition units purchased by the board on
87	87	behalf of the student under this section only to pay costs of
88	88	tuition and required fees for enrollment at a general academic
89	89	teaching institution or two-year institution of higher education;
90	90	and
91	91	(2) may not redeem tuition units purchased by the
92	92	board on behalf of the student under this section:
93	93	(A) before the third anniversary of the date the
94	94	tuition units were purchased; or
95	95	(B) after the 10th anniversary of the date the
96	96	beneficiary was projected to graduate from high school when the
97	97	beneficiary initially registered with the board to participate in
98	98	the pilot program.
99	99	(j) Sections 54.759(a) and (b) do not apply to tuition units
100	100	purchased under this section. For tuition units purchased on
101	101	behalf of a beneficiary under this section, the board shall
102	102	designate a new beneficiary only if:
103	103	(1) the original beneficiary has died;
104	104	(2) the original beneficiary's parents or guardian has
105	105	requested the designation of the new beneficiary; and
106	106	(3) the new beneficiary:
107	107	(A) is related to the original beneficiary by
108	108	consanguinity or marriage;
109	109	(B) is currently enrolled in a high school or
110	110	institution of higher education in this state;
111	111	(C) meets the requirements for a beneficiary
112	112	under this subchapter on the date the designation is changed; and
113	113	(D) meets the requirements of Section 529,
114	114	Internal Revenue Code of 1986, to prevent the change of beneficiary
115	115	from being treated as a distribution under that law.
116	116	(k) Notwithstanding Section 54.763, money used to purchase
117	117	tuition units under this section may not be refunded to the board or
118	118	any other person.
119	119	(l) The board shall adopt forms for the administration of
120	120	this section, including registration forms for students and
121	121	participating organizations.
122	122	(m) The board may solicit and accept gifts, grants, and
123	123	donations from any public or private source for the purposes of this
124	124	section.
125	125	(n) Each participating school district, as soon as
126	126	practicable at the beginning of a student's seventh, eighth, and
127	127	ninth grade years, shall provide information to the student and the
128	128	student's parents or guardian regarding the pilot program.
129	129	SECTION 2. The Prepaid Higher Education Tuition Board shall
130	130	adopt rules to implement the prepaid tuition unit community service
131	131	pilot program as required by Section 54.7522, Education Code, as
132	132	added by this Act, beginning with the 2010-2011 school year.
133	133	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
134	134	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
135	135	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
136	136	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
137	137	Act takes effect September 1, 2009.