Texas 2009 - 81st Regular

Texas House Bill HB3463 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	81R11733 KSD-D
2	2	By: Smith of Tarrant H.B. No. 3463
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to student loan repayment assistance for undergraduate
8	8	students who agree to teach in public schools in this state that
9	9	have shortages of teachers in math and science.
10	10	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	11	SECTION 1. Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding
12	12	Subchapter GG to read as follows:
13	13	SUBCHAPTER GG. STUDENT LOAN REPAYMENT ASSISTANCE FOR MATHEMATICS
14	14	AND SCIENCE CLASSROOM TEACHERS
15	15	Sec. 61.9831. LOAN REPAYMENT ASSISTANCE AUTHORIZED. The
16	16	board may provide, in accordance with this subchapter and board
17	17	rules, assistance in the repayment of eligible student loans for
18	18	eligible undergraduate students who agree to teach mathematics or
19	19	science for a specified period in public schools in this state that
20	20	are determined by the Texas Education Agency to have shortages of
21	21	teachers in math and science.
22	22	Sec. 61.9832. ELIGIBILITY; AGREEMENT REQUIREMENTS. (a) To
23	23	be eligible to receive loan repayment assistance under this
24	24	subchapter, a person must:
25	25	(1) apply for the loan repayment assistance in the
26	26	manner prescribed by the board;
27	27	(2) be currently enrolled in an educator preparation
28	28	program accredited by the State Board for Educator Certification
29	29	that is provided by an institution of higher education or by a
30	30	private or independent institution of higher education in this
31	31	state;
32	32	(3) have a cumulative grade point average of at least
33	33	2.75 on a four-point scale or the equivalent;
34	34	(4) enter into an agreement with the board providing
35	35	that:
36	36	(A) the person will earn a baccalaureate degree
37	37	through completion of an educator preparation program described by
38	38	Subdivision (2);
39	39	(B) the person will graduate with a cumulative
40	40	grade point average of at least 2.75 on a four-point scale or the
41	41	equivalent;
42	42	(C) the person will obtain, within the period
43	43	prescribed by board rule, appropriate certification under
44	44	Subchapter B, Chapter 21, to teach mathematics or science in a
45	45	public school in this state;
46	46	(D) beginning with the first school year that
47	47	begins after the date the person obtains the appropriate
48	48	certification described by Paragraph (C), the person will accept an
49	49	offer of full-time employment to teach in a public school in this
50	50	state selected by the person from among schools anticipated by the
51	51	Texas Education Agency to have shortages of teachers in math and
52	52	science for that first school year for which the person is accepting
53	53	employment;
54	54	(E) the person will complete seven consecutive
55	55	years of employment as a full-time classroom teacher in a school
56	56	described by Paragraph (D) whose primary duty is to teach
57	57	mathematics or science; and
58	58	(F) the person acknowledges the conditional
59	59	nature of the loan repayment assistance; and
60	60	(5) comply with any other requirement adopted by the
61	61	board under this subchapter.
62	62	(b) Except as provided by Section 61.9833, for the first
63	63	school year of employment and each following consecutive school
64	64	year of employment, as described by Subsections (a)(4)(D) and (E),
65	65	not to exceed a total of seven years, the board may provide
66	66	assistance for the repayment of a portion of an eligible person's
67	67	eligible loans. Subject to the availability of funding under
68	68	Section 61.9836 and except as otherwise provided by this
69	69	subsection, the amount of an assistance payment provided under this
70	70	subsection in any year to an eligible person is $5,000. The board
71	71	shall increase that amount as necessary to adjust for inflation or,
72	72	as determined by the board, on the basis of other relevant
73	73	considerations. The board shall reduce the amount of a single
74	74	assistance payment or refrain from making an assistance payment to
75	75	an eligible person as necessary to avoid making total payments
76	76	under this subsection to the person in an amount greater than the
77	77	total amount of principal and interest due on the person's eligible
78	78	loans.
79	79	(c) For purposes of this subchapter, not later than April 1
80	80	of each school year, the Texas Education Agency shall determine
81	81	which public schools in this state are anticipated to have
82	82	shortages of math and science teachers during the following school
83	83	year and shall provide that information to the board and to each
84	84	educator preparation program in this state accredited by the State
85	85	Board for Educator Certification.
86	86	Sec. 61.9833. EXCEPTION TO CONSECUTIVE YEARS OF EMPLOYMENT
87	87	REQUIREMENT. The board shall excuse an otherwise eligible person
88	88	from the requirement imposed by Section 61.9832(a)(4)(E) that the
89	89	employment be performed in consecutive years if the break in
90	90	employment is a result of the person's:
91	91	(1) full-time enrollment in a course of study related
92	92	to the field of teaching that is approved by the State Board for
93	93	Educator Certification and provided by an institution of higher
94	94	education or by a private or independent institution of higher
95	95	education in this state;
96	96	(2) service on active duty as a member of the armed
97	97	forces of the United States;
98	98	(3) temporary total disability for a period of not
99	99	more than 36 months as established by the affidavit of a qualified
100	100	physician;
101	101	(4) inability to secure employment as required by
102	102	Section 61.9832 for a period not to exceed 12 months, because of
103	103	care required by a disabled spouse or child;
104	104	(5) inability, despite reasonable efforts, to secure,
105	105	for a single period not to exceed 12 months, employment as required
106	106	by Section 61.9832; or
107	107	(6) satisfaction of the provisions of any other
108	108	exception adopted by the board for purposes of this section.
109	109	Sec. 61.9834. ELIGIBLE LOANS. (a) The board may provide
110	110	under this subchapter repayment assistance for the repayment of any
111	111	student loan that:
112	112	(1) is for education at a public or private
113	113	institution of higher education; and
114	114	(2) is received by an eligible person through an
115	115	eligible lender.
116	116	(b) If the loan is not a state or federal guaranteed student
117	117	loan, the note or other writing governing the terms of the loan must
118	118	require the loan proceeds to be used for expenses incurred by a
119	119	person in attending a postsecondary educational institution.
120	120	(c) The board may not provide loan repayment assistance
121	121	under this subchapter for a student loan that is in default at the
122	122	time of the person's application for repayment assistance.
123	123	Sec. 61.9835. PAYMENT OF ASSISTANCE. (a) The board shall
124	124	pay any loan repayment assistance under this subchapter in a lump
125	125	sum:
126	126	(1) payable to both the holder of the loan and the
127	127	eligible person; or
128	128	(2) delivered on the eligible person's behalf directly
129	129	to the holder of the loan.
130	130	(b) Loan repayment assistance provided under this
131	131	subchapter may be applied to any amount due on the loan.
132	132	(c) Each fiscal biennium, the board shall attempt to
133	133	allocate all money available to the board for the purpose of
134	134	providing loan repayment assistance under this subchapter.
135	135	Sec. 61.9836. FUNDING. In addition to money appropriated
136	136	by the legislature for purposes of this subchapter, the board may
137	137	solicit and accept gifts, grants, and donations from any public or
138	138	private entity for purposes of this subchapter.
139	139	Sec. 61.9837. TOTAL AMOUNT OF LOAN REPAYMENT ASSISTANCE.
140	140	The total amount of loan repayment assistance paid by the board
141	141	under this subchapter may not exceed the total amount of money
142	142	available under Section 61.9836 for that purpose and any other
143	143	money that the board is legally authorized to use for purposes of
144	144	this subchapter.
145	145	Sec. 61.9838. RULES. If the board provides loan repayment
146	146	assistance under this subchapter, the board shall:
147	147	(1) adopt rules necessary for the administration of
148	148	this subchapter, including a rule providing for the manner in which
149	149	a person may apply for repayment assistance; and
150	150	(2) distribute to each educator preparation program
151	151	approved by the State Board for Educator Certification offered by
152	152	an institution of higher education or by a private or independent
153	153	institution of higher education in this state a copy of the rules
154	154	adopted under this section.
155	155	SECTION 2. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
156	156	shall adopt the rules for loan repayment assistance under
157	157	Subchapter GG, Chapter 61, Education Code, as added by this Act, not
158	158	later than December 1, 2009. The board may, if it is feasible,
159	159	begin administering the loan repayment assistance program
160	160	established by that subchapter in the 2009-2010 academic year.
161	161	Otherwise, the board shall begin administering the program in the
162	162	2010-2011 academic year.
163	163	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
164	164	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
165	165	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
166	166	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
167	167	Act takes effect September 1, 2009.