| 1 | 1 | | 81R908 JRJ-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Shapleigh S.B. No. 191 |
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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 for undergraduate students |
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| 8 | 8 | | eligible for automatic admission to general academic teaching |
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| 9 | 9 | | institutions. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter D, Chapter 54, Education Code, is |
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| 12 | 12 | | amended by adding Section 54.202 to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | Sec. 54.202. HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES ELIGIBLE FOR AUTOMATIC |
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| 14 | 14 | | ADMISSION. (a) In this section: |
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| 15 | 15 | | (1) "Coordinating board" means the Texas Higher |
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| 16 | 16 | | Education Coordinating Board. |
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| 17 | 17 | | (2) "General academic teaching institution" has the |
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| 18 | 18 | | meaning assigned by Section 61.003. |
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| 19 | 19 | | (b) This section applies only to a person who: |
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| 20 | 20 | | (1) qualifies for automatic admission under Section |
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| 21 | 21 | | 51.803; and |
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| 22 | 22 | | (2) is admitted to and enrolls in a general academic |
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| 23 | 23 | | teaching institution. |
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| 24 | 24 | | (c) Each general academic teaching institution shall exempt |
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| 25 | 25 | | a person to whom this section applies from the payment of tuition |
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| 26 | 26 | | and special course fees, laboratory fees, and student teaching |
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| 27 | 27 | | fees. |
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| 28 | 28 | | (d) The exemption from tuition under Subsection (c) does not |
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| 29 | 29 | | apply to designated tuition charged under Section 54.0513. |
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| 30 | 30 | | (e) To continue to receive an exemption under this section |
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| 31 | 31 | | after the person has received an exemption under this section for |
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| 32 | 32 | | two or more academic years or the equivalent, a person must: |
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| 33 | 33 | | (1) enroll for a full course load for an undergraduate |
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| 34 | 34 | | student, as determined by the coordinating board, in an |
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| 35 | 35 | | undergraduate degree or certificate program at a general academic |
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| 36 | 36 | | teaching institution; and |
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| 37 | 37 | | (2) have a cumulative grade point average of at least |
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| 38 | 38 | | 2.5 on a four-point scale or the equivalent on all coursework |
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| 39 | 39 | | previously attempted at institutions of higher education, if the |
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| 40 | 40 | | person is enrolled in any academic year after the person's second |
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| 41 | 41 | | academic year. |
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| 42 | 42 | | (f) The legislature shall account in the General |
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| 43 | 43 | | Appropriations Act for the exemptions authorized by Subsection (c) |
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| 44 | 44 | | in a way that provides a corresponding increase in the general |
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| 45 | 45 | | revenue funds appropriated to the institution. |
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| 46 | 46 | | (g) In addition to the exemptions authorized by Subsection |
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| 47 | 47 | | (c), the legislature may appropriate money to the coordinating |
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| 48 | 48 | | board to be used to reimburse general academic teaching |
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| 49 | 49 | | institutions for reducing as provided by Subsection (h) the amount |
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| 50 | 50 | | of designated tuition charged under Section 54.0513 to persons |
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| 51 | 51 | | receiving exemptions from tuition and fees under Subsection (c). |
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| 52 | 52 | | (h) Based on the amount of appropriations under Subsection |
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| 53 | 53 | | (g) that are available for each academic year, the coordinating |
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| 54 | 54 | | board shall estimate the amount by which the designated tuition |
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| 55 | 55 | | charged under Section 54.0513 to each person who receives an |
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| 56 | 56 | | exemption from tuition and fees under Subsection (c) in that |
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| 57 | 57 | | academic year may be reduced from the amount that the applicable |
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| 58 | 58 | | institution would otherwise charge the person. The coordinating |
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| 59 | 59 | | board shall distribute the amount of appropriations under this |
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| 60 | 60 | | subsection available for the academic year to general academic |
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| 61 | 61 | | teaching institutions in proportion to the number of semester |
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| 62 | 62 | | credit hours for which the coordinating board estimates students |
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| 63 | 63 | | will receive exemptions under Subsection (c) in that academic year |
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| 64 | 64 | | at each institution. |
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| 65 | 65 | | (i) Each general academic teaching institution that |
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| 66 | 66 | | receives money under Subsection (h) shall reduce the amount of |
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| 67 | 67 | | designated tuition charged to each student who receives an |
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| 68 | 68 | | exemption under Subsection (c) by the amount determined by the |
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| 69 | 69 | | coordinating board for that academic year. |
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| 70 | 70 | | SECTION 2. Section 54.202, Education Code, as added by this |
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| 71 | 71 | | Act, applies beginning with tuition, fees, and other charges for |
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| 72 | 72 | | the 2010 fall semester. Tuition, fees, and other charges for a term |
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| 73 | 73 | | or semester before the 2010 fall semester are covered by the law in |
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| 74 | 74 | | effect immediately before the effective date of this Act, and the |
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| 75 | 75 | | former law is continued in effect for that purpose. |
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| 76 | 76 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 77 | 77 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 78 | 78 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 79 | 79 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 80 | 80 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |
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