| 1 | 1 | | By: Turner of Tarrant H.B. No. 3952 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 5 | 5 | | AN ACT |
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| 6 | 6 | | relating to tuition and fee exemptions at public institutions of |
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| 7 | 7 | | higher education for the spouses of certain military personnel. |
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| 8 | 8 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 9 | 9 | | SECTION 1. Section 54.203, Education Code, is amended by |
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| 10 | 10 | | adding Subsection (a-1) and amending Subsections (b-1), (g), and |
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| 11 | 11 | | (h) to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | (a-1) The exemptions provided for in Subsection (a) also |
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| 13 | 13 | | apply to the spouse of: |
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| 14 | 14 | | (1) a member of the armed forces of the United States: |
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| 15 | 15 | | (A) who was killed in action; |
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| 16 | 16 | | (B) who died while in service; |
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| 17 | 17 | | (C) who is missing in action; |
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| 18 | 18 | | (D) whose death is documented to be directly |
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| 19 | 19 | | caused by illness or injury connected with service in the armed |
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| 20 | 20 | | forces of the United States; or |
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| 21 | 21 | | (E) who became totally disabled for purposes of |
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| 22 | 22 | | employability according to the disability ratings of the Department |
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| 23 | 23 | | of Veterans Affairs as a result of a service-related injury; or |
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| 24 | 24 | | (2) a member of the Texas National Guard or the Texas |
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| 25 | 25 | | Air National Guard who: |
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| 26 | 26 | | (A) was killed since January 1, 1946, while on |
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| 27 | 27 | | active duty either in the service of this state or the United |
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| 28 | 28 | | States; or |
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| 29 | 29 | | (B) is totally disabled for purposes of |
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| 30 | 30 | | employability according to the disability ratings of the Department |
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| 31 | 31 | | of Veterans Affairs, regardless of whether the member is eligible |
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| 32 | 32 | | to receive disability benefits from the department, as a result of a |
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| 33 | 33 | | service-related injury suffered since January 1, 1946, while on |
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| 34 | 34 | | active duty either in the service of this state or the United |
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| 35 | 35 | | States. |
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| 36 | 36 | | (b-1) To qualify for an exemption under Subsection (a-1) or |
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| 37 | 37 | | (b), a person must be a citizen of Texas and must have resided in the |
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| 38 | 38 | | state for at least 12 months immediately preceding the date of the |
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| 39 | 39 | | person's registration. |
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| 40 | 40 | | (g) The governing board of a junior college district may |
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| 41 | 41 | | establish a fee for extraordinary costs associated with a specific |
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| 42 | 42 | | course or program and may provide that the exemptions provided by |
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| 43 | 43 | | Subsections (a), (a-1), and (b) do not apply to this fee. |
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| 44 | 44 | | (h) The governing board of each institution of higher |
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| 45 | 45 | | education shall electronically report to the Texas Higher Education |
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| 46 | 46 | | Coordinating Board the information required by Section 61.0516 |
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| 47 | 47 | | relating to each individual receiving an exemption from fees and |
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| 48 | 48 | | charges under Subsection (a), (a-1), or (b). The institution shall |
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| 49 | 49 | | report the information not later than December 31 of each year for |
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| 50 | 50 | | the fall semester, May 31 of each year for the spring semester, and |
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| 51 | 51 | | September 30 of each year for the summer session. |
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| 52 | 52 | | SECTION 2. Section 54.203, Education Code, as amended by |
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| 53 | 53 | | this Act, applies beginning with tuition and other fees charged for |
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| 54 | 54 | | the 2009 fall semester. Tuition and other fees charged for an |
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| 55 | 55 | | academic period before that semester are covered by the law in |
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| 56 | 56 | | effect immediately before the effective date of this Act, and the |
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| 57 | 57 | | former law is continued in effect for that purpose. |
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| 58 | 58 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 59 | 59 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 60 | 60 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 61 | 61 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 62 | 62 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |
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