Texas 2009 - 81st Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB706 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	81R3721 SJM-F
2	2	By: Nelson S.B. No. 706
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to incentives to recruit and retain allied health
8	8	education program faculty.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. Subchapter D, Chapter 54, Education Code, is
11	11	amended by adding Sections 54.225 and 54.226 to read as follows:
12	12	Sec. 54.225. CHILDREN OF ALLIED HEALTH PROGRAM FACULTY.
13	13	(a) In this section:
14	14	(1) "Allied health profession" means the profession
15	15	practiced by an allied health professional, as defined by 42 U.S.C.
16	16	Section 295p, except the term does not include acupuncture.
17	17	(2) "Child" means a child 25 years of age or younger
18	18	and includes an adopted child.
19	19	(3) "Graduate allied health program" means a master's
20	20	or doctoral degree program in an allied health profession that is
21	21	accredited by an accrediting entity recognized by the United States
22	22	Department of Education.
23	23	(4) "Undergraduate allied health program" means an
24	24	undergraduate degree or certificate program that:
25	25	(A) prepares students for initial licensure,
26	26	certification, or registration in an allied health profession; and
27	27	(B) is accredited by an accrediting entity
28	28	recognized by the United States Department of Education.
29	29	(b) The governing board of an institution of higher
30	30	education shall exempt from the payment of tuition a resident of
31	31	this state enrolled as an undergraduate student at the institution
32	32	who is a child of a person who, at the beginning of the semester or
33	33	other academic term for which the exemption is sought:
34	34	(1) holds a master's or doctoral degree in an allied
35	35	health profession, if employed or under contract to serve in a
36	36	position other than as a teaching assistant under Subdivision (2),
37	37	or holds a baccalaureate degree in an allied health profession, if
38	38	employed or under contract to serve as a teaching assistant under
39	39	Subdivision (2); and
40	40	(2) meets either of the following requirements:
41	41	(A) is employed by the institution as a full-time
42	42	member of the faculty or staff of an undergraduate or graduate
43	43	allied health program with duties that include teaching, serving as
44	44	a teaching assistant, performing research, serving as an
45	45	administrator, or performing other professional services; or
46	46	(B) has contracted with the institution to serve
47	47	as a full-time member of the faculty or staff of an undergraduate or
48	48	graduate allied health program to perform duties described by
49	49	Paragraph (A) during all or part of the semester or other academic
50	50	term for which an exemption is sought or, if the child is enrolled
51	51	for a summer session, during all or part of that session or for the
52	52	next academic year.
53	53	(c) A child who would qualify for an exemption under this
54	54	section but for the fact that the child's parent is not employed
55	55	full-time is eligible for an exemption on a pro rata basis equal to
56	56	the percentage of full-time employment the parent is employed,
57	57	except that a parent employed for less than 25 percent of full-time
58	58	employment is considered to be employed for 25 percent of full-time
59	59	employment.
60	60	(d) A person is not eligible for an exemption under this
61	61	section if the person:
62	62	(1) has previously received an exemption under this
63	63	section for 10 semesters or summer sessions at any institution or
64	64	institutions of higher education; or
65	65	(2) has received a baccalaureate degree.
66	66	(e) For purposes of Subsection (d), a summer session that is
67	67	less than nine weeks in duration is considered one-half of a summer
68	68	session.
69	69	(f) The tuition exemption provided by this section applies
70	70	only to enrollment of a child at the institution at which the
71	71	child's parent is employed or is under contract.
72	72	(g) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall
73	73	adopt:
74	74	(1) rules governing the granting or denial of an
75	75	exemption under this section, including rules relating to the
76	76	determination of eligibility for an exemption; and
77	77	(2) a uniform application form for an exemption under
78	78	this section.
79	79	Sec. 54.226. PRECEPTORS FOR ALLIED HEALTH PROGRAMS. (a) In
80	80	this section, "allied health profession," "child," and
81	81	"undergraduate allied health program" have the meanings assigned by
82	82	Section 54.225.
83	83	(b) The governing board of an institution of higher
84	84	education shall exempt a person from the payment of $500 of the
85	85	total amount of tuition otherwise charged to a resident of this
86	86	state if the person is enrolled as a student at the institution and:
87	87	(1) holds a license, certificate, or registration in
88	88	an allied health profession; and
89	89	(2) is serving under a written preceptor agreement
90	90	with an undergraduate allied health program as a clinical preceptor
91	91	for students enrolled in the program for the semester or other
92	92	academic term for which the exemption is sought.
93	93	(c) The governing board of an institution of higher
94	94	education shall exempt a person from the payment of $500 of the
95	95	total amount of tuition otherwise charged to a resident of this
96	96	state if the person is enrolled as an undergraduate student at the
97	97	institution and is a child of a person who meets the requirements of
98	98	Subsections (b)(1) and (2).
99	99	(d) Notwithstanding Subsections (b) and (c), if a person
100	100	eligible for an exemption under this section owes less than $500 in
101	101	tuition, the governing board of the institution of higher education
102	102	in which the person is enrolled shall exempt the person from the
103	103	payment of only the amount of tuition the person owes.
104	104	(e) A person is not eligible for an exemption under
105	105	Subsection (c) if the person:
106	106	(1) has previously received an exemption under this
107	107	section for 10 semesters or summer sessions at any institution or
108	108	institutions of higher education; or
109	109	(2) has received a baccalaureate degree.
110	110	(f) For purposes of Subsection (e), a summer session that is
111	111	less than nine weeks in duration is considered one-half of a summer
112	112	session.
113	113	(g) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall
114	114	adopt:
115	115	(1) rules governing the granting or denial of an
116	116	exemption under this section, including rules relating to the
117	117	determination of eligibility for an exemption; and
118	118	(2) a uniform application form for an exemption under
119	119	this section.
120	120	SECTION 2. Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding
121	121	Subchapter JJ to read as follows:
122	122	SUBCHAPTER JJ. ALLIED HEALTH FACULTY ENHANCEMENT GRANTS
123	123	Sec. 61.9871. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
124	124	(1) "Allied health profession" has the meaning
125	125	assigned by Section 54.225.
126	126	(2) "Allied health program" means a degree or
127	127	certificate program of a public or private institution of higher
128	128	education in this state that:
129	129	(A) prepares students for initial licensure,
130	130	certification, or registration in an allied health profession; and
131	131	(B) is accredited by an accrediting entity
132	132	recognized by the United States Department of Education.
133	133	Sec. 61.9872. ALLIED HEALTH FACULTY ENHANCEMENT GRANTS.
134	134	The board may award allied health faculty enhancement grants to
135	135	allied health programs to assist the programs in the education,
136	136	recruitment, or retention of faculty members to enable the programs
137	137	to train students to meet the state's need for health care providers
138	138	in the allied health professions generally or in specific allied
139	139	health professions as the board determines appropriate.
140	140	Sec. 61.9873. USE OF GRANT. A grant awarded under this
141	141	subchapter may be used only for a purpose specified by Section
142	142	61.9872, including providing salary supplements and enhancements
143	143	and reducing the number of hours a faculty member must teach.
144	144	Sec. 61.9874. MATCHING FUNDS FOR GRANT. In awarding a grant
145	145	under this subchapter, the board may require the receiving
146	146	institution to provide matching funds or may give preference in
147	147	awarding a grant to an institution that provides matching funds.
148	148	Sec. 61.9875. ADVISORY COMMITTEE. The board may appoint an
149	149	advisory committee to advise the board on successful strategies, in
150	150	addition to the grants awarded under this subchapter, for
151	151	educating, recruiting, or retaining qualified allied health
152	152	program faculty members who hold master's or doctoral degrees.
153	153	SECTION 3. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b) of this
154	154	section, Sections 54.225 and 54.226, Education Code, as added by
155	155	this Act, apply beginning with the 2010 fall semester.
156	156	(b) Not later than January 1, 2010, the Texas Higher
157	157	Education Coordinating Board shall adopt rules and forms relating
158	158	to tuition exemptions under Sections 54.225 and 54.226, Education
159	159	Code, as added by this Act.
160	160	SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
161	161	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
162	162	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
163	163	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
164	164	Act takes effect September 1, 2009.