Texas 2009 - 81st Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1141 Compare Versions

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1	1	By: Van de Putte S.B. No. 1141
2	2
3	3
4	4	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
5	5	AN ACT
6	6	relating to student loan repayment assistance for speech-language
7	7	pathologists or audiologists employed by a public school or as
8	8	faculty members of certain programs at institutions of higher
9	9	education.
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 FF to read as follows:
13	13	SUBCHAPTER FF. REPAYMENT OF CERTAIN SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGIST
14	14	AND AUDIOLOGIST EDUCATION LOANS
15	15	Sec. 61.9801. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
16	16	(1) "Audiologist" means a person licensed as an
17	17	audiologist under Chapter 401, Occupations Code.
18	18	(2) "Communicative disorders program" means:
19	19	(A) a graduate degree program in audiology or
20	20	speech-language pathology accredited by the Council on Academic
21	21	Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology; or
22	22	(B) an undergraduate degree program that
23	23	prepares and qualifies a student to apply for admission to a
24	24	graduate degree program described by Paragraph (A).
25	25	(3) "Public school" means a public preschool or
26	26	primary or secondary school in this state.
27	27	(4) "Speech-language pathologist" means a person
28	28	licensed as a speech-language pathologist under Chapter 401,
29	29	Occupations Code.
30	30	Sec. 61.9802. REPAYMENT ASSISTANCE AUTHORIZED. The board
31	31	shall provide, in accordance with this subchapter and board rules,
32	32	assistance in the repayment of student loans for speech-language
33	33	pathologists and audiologists who apply and qualify for assistance.
34	34	Sec. 61.9803. ELIGIBILITY. (a) To be eligible to receive
35	35	repayment assistance, a speech-language pathologist or an
36	36	audiologist must:
37	37	(1) apply to the board; and
38	38	(2) at the time the speech-language pathologist or
39	39	audiologist applies for the assistance:
40	40	(A) have been employed as a speech-language
41	41	pathologist or as an audiologist, as applicable, for at least one
42	42	year by, and be currently employed full-time in that capacity by, a
43	43	public school; or
44	44	(B) have been employed as a faculty member of a
45	45	communicative disorders program at an institution of higher
46	46	education or private or independent institution of higher education
47	47	for at least one year, and be currently employed full-time in that
48	48	capacity at such an institution.
49	49	(b) The board by rule may provide for repayment assistance
50	50	on a pro rata basis for speech-language pathologists and
51	51	audiologists employed part-time by a public school or by an
52	52	institution of higher education or private or independent
53	53	institution of higher education.
54	54	Sec. 61.9804. LIMITATION. (a) On qualifying for the
55	55	assistance, a speech-language pathologist or an audiologist may
56	56	receive repayment assistance grants for each year of employment,
57	57	not to exceed five years, by:
58	58	(1) a public school; or
59	59	(2) a communicative disorders program at an
60	60	institution of higher education or private or independent
61	61	institution of higher education.
62	62	(b) The total amount of repayment assistance grants
63	63	received by a speech-language pathologist or an audiologist under
64	64	this subchapter may not exceed, for each applicable year of
65	65	employment:
66	66	(1) for an eligible recipient who holds a master's
67	67	degree but not a doctoral degree, $6,000; or
68	68	(2) for an eligible recipient who holds a doctoral
69	69	degree, $9,000.
70	70	Sec. 61.9805. ELIGIBLE LOANS. (a) The board may provide
71	71	repayment assistance for the repayment of any student loan for
72	72	education at any public or private institution of higher education,
73	73	including loans for undergraduate education, received by a
74	74	speech-language pathologist or an audiologist through any lender.
75	75	(b) Each state fiscal biennium, the board shall attempt to
76	76	provide repayment assistance in amounts sufficient to use all the
77	77	money appropriated to the board for that biennium for the purpose of
78	78	providing repayment assistance under this subchapter.
79	79	Sec. 61.9806. REPAYMENT. (a) After each year of
80	80	employment for which a speech-language pathologist or audiologist
81	81	is eligible to receive a repayment assistance grant under this
82	82	subchapter, the coordinating board shall deliver any repayment made
83	83	under this subchapter in a lump sum payable:
84	84	(1) to both the speech-language pathologist or
85	85	audiologist and the lender or other holder of the loan; or
86	86	(2) directly to the lender or other holder of the loan,
87	87	on behalf of the speech-language pathologist or audiologist.
88	88	(b) A repayment made under this subchapter may be applied to
89	89	both the principal amount of the loan and to interest on the loan.
90	90	Sec. 61.9807. ADVISORY COMMITTEES. The board may appoint
91	91	advisory committees to assist the board in administering this
92	92	subchapter.
93	93	Sec. 61.9808. ACCEPTANCE OF GIFTS. The board may accept
94	94	gifts, grants, and donations for the purposes of this subchapter.
95	95	Sec. 61.9809. RULES. (a) The board shall adopt rules
96	96	necessary for the administration of this subchapter.
97	97	(b) The board shall distribute a copy of the rules adopted
98	98	under this section and pertinent information regarding this
99	99	subchapter to:
100	100	(1) each appropriate institution of higher education
101	101	or private or independent institution of higher education;
102	102	(2) any appropriate state agency; and
103	103	(3) any appropriate professional association.
104	104	SECTION 2. This Act does not make an appropriation. A
105	105	provision in this Act that creates a new governmental program,
106	106	creates a new entitlement, or imposes a new duty on a governmental
107	107	entity is not mandatory during a fiscal period for which the
108	108	legislature has not made a specific appropriation to implement the
109	109	provision.
110	110	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2009.