Texas 2013 - 83rd Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1258 Compare Versions

The same version is selected twice. Please select two different versions to compare.

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New	Differences
1	1	By: Hinojosa S.B. No. 1258
2	2	(In the Senate - Filed March 6, 2013; March 13, 2013, read
3	3	first time and referred to Committee on Higher Education;
4	4	April 29, 2013, reported adversely, with favorable Committee
5	5	Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 5, Nays 0; April 29, 2013,
6	6	sent to printer.)
7	7	COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 1258 By: Zaffirini
8	8
9	9
10	10	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
11	11	AN ACT
12	12	relating to improving access to nursing education programs.
13	13	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
14	14	SECTION 1. Subsections (a) and (b), Section 51.762,
15	15	Education Code, are amended to read as follows:
16	16	(a) The board, with the assistance of an advisory committee
17	17	composed of representatives of general academic teaching
18	18	institutions, junior college districts, public state colleges, and
19	19	public technical institutes, and with the consultation of all
20	20	institutions of higher education that admit freshman-level
21	21	students:
22	22	(1) shall adopt by rule:
23	23	(A) a common admission application form for use
24	24	by a person seeking admission as a freshman student to a general
25	25	academic teaching institution; [and]
26	26	(B) an electronic common admission application
27	27	form for use by a person seeking admission as a freshman student to
28	28	an institution of higher education that admits freshman-level
29	29	students, other than a general academic teaching institution; and
30	30	(C) if the board determines that adoption of the
31	31	form would be cost-effective for nursing schools, an electronic
32	32	common admission application form for use by a person seeking
33	33	admission as a student to an undergraduate nursing education
34	34	program at an institution of higher education; and
35	35	(2) may adopt by rule a printed format common
36	36	admission application form for use by a person seeking admission as
37	37	a freshman student to an institution of higher education that
38	38	admits freshman-level students, other than a general academic
39	39	teaching institution.
40	40	(b) The board, with the assistance of an advisory committee
41	41	composed of representatives of general academic teaching
42	42	institutions, junior college districts, public state colleges, and
43	43	public technical institutes, and with the consultation of all
44	44	institutions of higher education that admit undergraduate transfer
45	45	students, may adopt by rule:
46	46	(1) a common admission application form for use by a
47	47	person seeking admission as an undergraduate transfer student to a
48	48	general academic teaching institution; [and]
49	49	(2) an electronic or printed format common admission
50	50	application form for use by a person seeking admission as an
51	51	undergraduate transfer student to an institution of higher
52	52	education that admits undergraduate transfer students, other than a
53	53	general academic teaching institution; and
54	54	(3) if the board determines that adoption of the form
55	55	would be cost-effective for nursing schools, an electronic common
56	56	admission application form for use by a person seeking admission as
57	57	a transfer student to an undergraduate nursing education program at
58	58	an institution of higher education.
59	59	SECTION 2. Section 61.026, Education Code, is amended to
60	60	read as follows:
61	61	Sec. 61.026. COMMITTEES AND ADVISORY COMMITTEES. (a) The
62	62	chairman may appoint committees from the board's membership as the
63	63	chairman [he] or the board may find necessary from time to time.
64	64	The board may appoint advisory committees from outside its
65	65	membership as it may deem necessary.
66	66	(b) If the board directs an advisory committee to assist the
67	67	board in exercising its authority under Section 61.051(j) regarding
68	68	an off-campus course in nursing education, including clinical
69	69	coursework, the board shall require the advisory committee to
70	70	include or consult with one or more for-profit career schools
71	71	offering nursing education courses in the area where the course is
72	72	to be offered.
73	73	SECTION 3. Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding
74	74	Subchapter II to read as follows:
75	75	SUBCHAPTER II. NURSING FACULTY LOAN REPAYMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
76	76	Sec. 61.9821. REPAYMENT AUTHORIZED. The board shall
77	77	establish and administer a program to provide, in accordance with
78	78	this subchapter and board rules, assistance in the repayment of
79	79	student loans for nurses who:
80	80	(1) are serving on the faculties of nursing degree
81	81	programs at institutions of higher education or private or
82	82	independent institutions of higher education in positions that
83	83	require an advanced degree in professional nursing; and
84	84	(2) apply and qualify for the assistance.
85	85	Sec. 61.9822. ELIGIBILITY. To be eligible to receive loan
86	86	repayment assistance under this subchapter, a nurse must:
87	87	(1) apply to the board;
88	88	(2) at the time of application for repayment
89	89	assistance have been employed full-time for at least one year as,
90	90	and be currently employed full-time as, a faculty member of a
91	91	nursing degree program at an institution of higher education or a
92	92	private or independent institution of higher education; and
93	93	(3) comply with any additional requirements adopted by
94	94	board rule.
95	95	Sec. 61.9823. LIMITATIONS. (a) On qualifying for loan
96	96	repayment assistance under this subchapter, a nurse may receive
97	97	repayment assistance for each year of full-time employment as a
98	98	faculty member of a nursing degree program at an institution of
99	99	higher education or private or independent institution of higher
100	100	education, not to exceed five years.
101	101	(b) The amount of loan repayment assistance received by a
102	102	nurse under this subchapter may not exceed $7,000 in any one year.
103	103	(c) The total amount of loan repayment assistance provided
104	104	under this subchapter may not exceed the total amount of gifts and
105	105	grants accepted by the board for the repayment assistance and other
106	106	funds available to the board for the repayment assistance,
107	107	including any money reallocated under Section 61.9826.
108	108	Sec. 61.9824. ELIGIBLE LOANS. (a) The board may provide
109	109	repayment assistance for the repayment of any student loan for
110	110	education at any public or private institution of higher education,
111	111	including a loan for undergraduate education, received by an
112	112	eligible person through any lender.
113	113	(b) The board may not provide repayment assistance for a
114	114	student loan that is in default at the time of the nurse's
115	115	application.
116	116	Sec. 61.9825. REPAYMENT. (a) The board shall deliver any
117	117	repayment under this subchapter in a lump sum:
118	118	(1) payable to both the lender or other holder of the
119	119	loan and the nurse; or
120	120	(2) directly to the lender or other holder of the loan
121	121	on the nurse's behalf.
122	122	(b) A repayment under this subchapter may be applied to any
123	123	amount due in connection with the loan.
124	124	Sec. 61.9826. REALLOCATION OF MONEY. (a) In each state
125	125	fiscal year, the board shall reallocate for loan repayment
126	126	assistance under this subchapter for a particular year any money in
127	127	the physician education loan repayment program account established
128	128	under Section 61.5391 that exceeds the amount necessary in that
129	129	fiscal year for purposes of repayment assistance under Subchapter
130	130	J.
131	131	(b) Any money reallocated under Subsection (a) in a fiscal
132	132	year that is not used for loan repayment assistance under this
133	133	subchapter in that fiscal year is treated as if that unused amount
134	134	had not been reallocated in that fiscal year.
135	135	Sec. 61.9827. GIFTS AND GRANTS. The board may solicit and
136	136	accept gifts and grants from any source for the purposes of this
137	137	subchapter.
138	138	Sec. 61.9828. RULES. (a) The board shall adopt rules as
139	139	necessary to administer this subchapter.
140	140	(b) The board shall distribute a copy of the rules adopted
141	141	under this section and pertinent information regarding this
142	142	subchapter to:
143	143	(1) each institution of higher education and private
144	144	or independent institution of higher education;
145	145	(2) any appropriate state agency; and
146	146	(3) any appropriate professional association.
147	147	SECTION 4. Subsection (b), Section 61.5391, Education Code,
148	148	is amended to read as follows:
149	149	(b) Money in the account may not be appropriated for any
150	150	purpose except:
151	151	(1) to provide loan repayment assistance to eligible
152	152	physicians under this subchapter; or
153	153	(2) to provide loan repayment assistance under
154	154	Subchapter II if reallocated under Section 61.9826.
155	155	SECTION 5. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
156	156	shall adopt the rules for loan repayment assistance under
157	157	Subchapter II, Chapter 61, Education Code, as added by this Act, not
158	158	later than December 1, 2013.
159	159	SECTION 6. Not later than September 1, 2014, the Texas
160	160	Higher Education Coordinating Board shall make an initial
161	161	determination regarding whether adopting electronic common
162	162	admission application forms for undergraduate nursing education
163	163	programs would be cost-effective as required by Subsections (a) and
164	164	(b), Section 51.762, Education Code, as amended by this Act.
165	165	SECTION 7. This Act takes effect September 1, 2013.
166	166	* * * * *