Texas 2009 - 81st Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1412 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	81R10235 YDB-F
2	2	By: Williams S.B. No. 1412
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to scholarships for fifth-year accounting students.
8	8	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
9	9	SECTION 1. Section 901.155, Occupations Code, is amended to
10	10	read as follows:
11	11	Sec. 901.155. SCHOLARSHIP TRUST FUND ACCOUNT FOR FIFTH-YEAR
12	12	ACCOUNTING STUDENTS. (a) The fee for the issuance or renewal of a
13	13	license under this chapter is the amount of the fee set by the board
14	14	under Section 901.154 together with the fee increase imposed under
15	15	Section 901.406 and an additional $10 annual [$20] fee to be
16	16	deposited to the credit of the scholarship trust fund account for
17	17	fifth-year accounting students in the general revenue fund.
18	18	(b) The scholarship trust fund account for fifth-year
19	19	accounting students may be used only to:
20	20	(1) provide scholarships under Subchapter N[, Chapter
21	21	61, Education Code,] to accounting students in the fifth year of a
22	22	program designed to qualify each student to apply for certification
23	23	as a certified public accountant; and
24	24	(2) pay administrative costs under Subsection (c).
25	25	(c) The administrative costs incurred to collect the fee
26	26	imposed under Subsection (a) and to disburse the money may not
27	27	exceed 10 [15] percent of the total money collected[, with 10
28	28	percent of the money allocated to the Texas Higher Education
29	29	Coordinating Board and five percent of the money allocated to the
30	30	board].
31	31	(d) Notwithstanding Section 404.071, Government Code,
32	32	interest earned on amounts in the scholarship trust fund account
33	33	for fifth-year accounting students shall be credited to that
34	34	account.
35	35	SECTION 2. Subchapter N, Chapter 61, Education Code, is
36	36	transferred to Chapter 901, Occupations Code, designated as
37	37	Subchapter N, Chapter 901, Occupations Code, and amended to read as
38	38	follows:
39	39	SUBCHAPTER N. SCHOLARSHIPS FOR FIFTH-YEAR ACCOUNTING STUDENTS
40	40	Sec. 901.651 [61.751]. DEFINITION. In this subchapter,
41	41	"fifth-year accounting student" means a student enrolled in the
42	42	additional hours of study required by Section 901.254 [12(e)(2)(B),
43	43	Public Accountancy Act of 1991 (Article 41a-1, Vernon's Texas Civil
44	44	Statutes)].
45	45	Sec. 901.652 [61.752]. PUBLIC PURPOSE. The scholarships
46	46	required by this subchapter serve a public purpose of the state as
47	47	described by Section 901.155 [32, Public Accountancy Act of 1991
48	48	(Article 41a-1, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes)].
49	49	Sec. 901.653 [61.753]. SCHOLARSHIPS. The board shall
50	50	establish and administer, using funds collected and appropriated
51	51	for that purpose and in accordance with this subchapter and board
52	52	rules, scholarships for fifth-year accounting students.
53	53	Sec. 901.654 [61.754]. FACTORS. (a) Scholarships shall be
54	54	established and administered in a manner that the board determines
55	55	best serves the public purpose of the scholarships.
56	56	(b) In determining what best promotes the public purpose,
57	57	the board shall consider at a minimum the following factors
58	58	relating to each person applying for a scholarship under this
59	59	section:
60	60	(1) financial need;
61	61	(2) ethnic or racial minority status; and
62	62	(3) scholastic ability and performance.
63	63	Sec. 901.655 [61.755]. RULES. (a) The board shall adopt
64	64	rules as necessary for the administration of this subchapter.
65	65	(b) The board shall adopt rules relating to the
66	66	establishment of the scholarships under Section 901.653 [61.753 of
67	67	this code], including rules providing eligibility criteria and the
68	68	determination of the amount of each scholarship.
69	69	Sec. 901.656 [61.756]. SCHOLARSHIP REGULATIONS. (a) The
70	70	board, in consultation with the advisory committee appointed under
71	71	Section 901.657 [61.757], shall determine the maximum amount of any
72	72	scholarship awarded under this subchapter. The scholarship may be
73	73	spent by the recipient on the expenses for tuition, fees, books,
74	74	supplies, and living expenses incurred by the student in connection
75	75	with the student's fifth year of an accounting program.
76	76	Scholarships shall be made available to eligible students
77	77	attending:
78	78	(1) any institution of higher education; or
79	79	(2) any nonprofit independent institution approved by
80	80	the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board [board] under Section
81	81	61.222, Education Code.
82	82	(b) The board may award a scholarship under this subchapter
83	83	only to an eligible student who intends to take the written
84	84	examination conducted by the board [Texas State Board of Public
85	85	Accountancy] for the purpose of granting a certificate of
86	86	"certified public accountant." An applicant for a scholarship
87	87	under this subchapter shall state such an intent by filing a form
88	88	provided by the board stating an intent to take the examination.
89	89	(c) A scholarship under this subchapter shall be paid to the
90	90	recipient in the form of periodic partial payments throughout the
91	91	school year. The board by rule shall determine the manner in which
92	92	these payments are made.
93	93	Sec. 901.657 [61.757]. ADVISORY COMMITTEE. (a) The board
94	94	shall appoint an eight-member advisory committee to advise the
95	95	board concerning scholarships provided under this subchapter. The
96	96	advisory committee consists of:
97	97	(1) a presiding officer named by the board;
98	98	(2) one representative named by the board [Texas State
99	99	Board of Public Accountancy];
100	100	(3) one representative named by the Texas Society of
101	101	Certified Public Accountants;
102	102	(4) a Texas representative of the American Accounting
103	103	Association named by that organization;
104	104	(5) one representative named by the National
105	105	Association of Black Accountants;
106	106	(6) one representative named by the American
107	107	Association of Hispanic Certified Public Accountants; and
108	108	(7) two representatives named by the Texas Higher
109	109	Education Coordinating Board [board] who are the chairmen of
110	110	accounting departments at Texas colleges and universities, at least
111	111	one of whom must be a representative of a private college or
112	112	university and at least one other of whom must be a representative
113	113	from a college or university that primarily serves minority
114	114	students.
115	115	(b) The costs of participation on an advisory committee of a
116	116	member representing a particular organization or agency shall be
117	117	borne by that member of the organization or agency the member
118	118	represents.
119	119	(c) In addition to any other duties assigned by the board,
120	120	the advisory committee specifically shall advise the board on:
121	121	(1) how the scholarships provided for under this
122	122	subchapter should be established and administered to best promote
123	123	the public purpose of the scholarships;
124	124	(2) the amount of money needed to adequately fund the
125	125	scholarships and the maximum amount that may be awarded in any given
126	126	year to an individual student; and
127	127	(3) any priorities among the factors identified by
128	128	Section 901.654 [61.754].
129	129	Sec. 901.658 [61.758]. FUNDING. The board may:
130	130	(1) use, in accordance with Article 8930, Revised
131	131	Statutes, this subchapter, and Section 901.155 [32, Public
132	132	Accountancy Act of 1991 (Article 41a-1, Vernon's Texas Civil
133	133	Statutes)], any money appropriated to it from the trust fund
134	134	established under Section 901.155 [by that section]; and
135	135	(2) accept gifts, grants, and donations of real or
136	136	personal property from any entity, subject to limitations or
137	137	conditions set by law, for the purposes of this subchapter.
138	138	Sec. 901.659 [61.760]. MINORITY AND DISADVANTAGED STUDENT
139	139	INTERNSHIPS. (a) The board shall adopt rules to encourage
140	140	internships for minority and disadvantaged students and certified
141	141	public accountant examination candidates who notify the board not
142	142	later than 90 days after the date of being accepted into an
143	143	accounting internship program.
144	144	(b) The rules adopted by the board shall include standards
145	145	for appropriate recognition of an accounting firm for its efforts
146	146	in training and hiring minority or disadvantaged students.
147	147	SECTION 3. Section 61.081, Education Code, is transferred
148	148	to Subchapter N, Chapter 901, Occupations Code, as added by this
149	149	Act, redesignated as Section 901.660, Occupations Code, and amended
150	150	to read as follows:
151	151	Sec. 901.660 [61.081]. REPORT ON ACCOUNTANT SCHOLARSHIP
152	152	PROGRAM. (a) Before January 15 of each odd-numbered year, the
153	153	board shall report to the legislature concerning the scholarship
154	154	program for fifth-year accounting students administered by the
155	155	board under [Subchapter N, Chapter 61, of] this subchapter [code].
156	156	(b) The report expenses shall be included in the
157	157	administrative costs allocated to the board under Section 901.155
158	158	[32(e) of this code]. The report must include:
159	159	(1) the number and amount of scholarships awarded in
160	160	the two calendar years preceding the year in which the report is
161	161	due; and
162	162	(2) the number of minority students, by racial or
163	163	ethnic background, who have been awarded scholarships under the
164	164	program in that two-year period.
165	165	SECTION 4. (a) Not later than January 1, 2010, the Texas
166	166	State Board of Public Accountancy shall adopt the rules required to
167	167	implement Subchapter N, Chapter 901, Occupations Code, as added by
168	168	this Act.
169	169	(b) On the effective date of this Act, the Texas Higher
170	170	Education Coordinating Board shall transfer to the Texas State
171	171	Board of Public Accountancy for deposit in the scholarship trust
172	172	fund account established under Subchapter N, Chapter 901,
173	173	Occupations Code, as added by this Act, any money appropriated to
174	174	the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for scholarships to
175	175	fifth-year accounting students under Subchapter N, Chapter 61,
176	176	Education Code, as that subchapter existed before the effective
177	177	date of this Act, that has not been awarded to students under that
178	178	scholarship program.
179	179	SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2009.