| 1 | 1 | | By: Lewis, Cook, Guillen, H.B. No. 2304 |
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| 2 | 2 | | Gonzalez Toureilles |
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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 tuition and fee exemptions at public institutions of |
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| 8 | 8 | | higher education for students who have been under the |
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| 9 | 9 | | conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective |
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| 10 | 10 | | Services. |
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| 11 | 11 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 12 | 12 | | SECTION 1. The heading to Section 54.211, Education Code, |
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| 13 | 13 | | is amended to read as follows: |
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| 14 | 14 | | Sec. 54.211. EXEMPTIONS FOR STUDENTS UNDER CONSERVATORSHIP |
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| 15 | 15 | | OF DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY AND PROTECTIVE SERVICES [IN FOSTER OR OTHER |
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| 16 | 16 | | RESIDENTIAL CARE]. |
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| 17 | 17 | | SECTION 2. Section 54.211(a), Education Code, is amended to |
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| 18 | 18 | | read as follows: |
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| 19 | 19 | | (a) A student is exempt from the payment of tuition and fees |
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| 20 | 20 | | authorized in this chapter if the student: |
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| 21 | 21 | | (1) was [in foster care or other residential care] |
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| 22 | 22 | | under the conservatorship of the Department of Family and |
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| 23 | 23 | | Protective Services [on or after]: |
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| 24 | 24 | | (A) on the day preceding the student's 18th |
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| 25 | 25 | | birthday; |
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| 26 | 26 | | (B) on or after the day of the student's 14th |
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| 27 | 27 | | birthday, if the student was also eligible for adoption on or after |
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| 28 | 28 | | that day; [or] |
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| 29 | 29 | | (C) on the day the student graduated from high |
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| 30 | 30 | | school or received the equivalent of a high school diploma; or |
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| 31 | 31 | | (D) during an academic term in which the student |
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| 32 | 32 | | was enrolled in a dual credit course or other course for which a |
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| 33 | 33 | | high school student may earn joint high school and college credit; |
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| 34 | 34 | | and |
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| 35 | 35 | | (2) enrolls in an institution of higher education as |
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| 36 | 36 | | an undergraduate student or in a dual credit course or other course |
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| 37 | 37 | | for which a high school student may earn joint high school and |
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| 38 | 38 | | college credit not later than: |
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| 39 | 39 | | (A) the third anniversary of the date the student |
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| 40 | 40 | | was discharged from the conservatorship of the Department of Family |
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| 41 | 41 | | and Protective Services [foster or other residential care], the |
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| 42 | 42 | | date the student graduated from high school, or the date the student |
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| 43 | 43 | | received the equivalent of a high school diploma, whichever date is |
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| 44 | 44 | | earliest; or |
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| 45 | 45 | | (B) the student's 25th [21st] birthday. |
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| 46 | 46 | | SECTION 3. Section 54.211, Education Code, as amended by |
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| 47 | 47 | | this Act, applies beginning with tuition and other fees charged for |
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| 48 | 48 | | the 2009 fall semester. Tuition and other fees charged for an |
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| 49 | 49 | | academic period before that semester are covered by the law in |
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| 50 | 50 | | effect immediately before the effective date of this Act, and the |
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| 51 | 51 | | former law is continued in effect for that purpose. |
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| 52 | 52 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 53 | 53 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 54 | 54 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 55 | 55 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 56 | 56 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |
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