| 1 | 1 | | 84R25708 JRJ-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Flynn H.B. No. 119 |
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| 3 | 3 | | Substitute the following for H.B. No. 119: |
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| 4 | 4 | | By: Clardy C.S.H.B. No. 119 |
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| 5 | 5 | | |
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| 6 | 6 | | |
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| 7 | 7 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 8 | 8 | | AN ACT |
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| 9 | 9 | | relating to tuition assistance for members of the Texas State |
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| 10 | 10 | | Guard. |
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| 11 | 11 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 12 | 12 | | SECTION 1. Chapter 56, Education Code, is amended by adding |
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| 13 | 13 | | Subchapter S to read as follows: |
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| 14 | 14 | | SUBCHAPTER S. ASSISTANCE FOR TUITION AND FEES FOR MEMBERS |
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| 15 | 15 | | OF TEXAS STATE GUARD |
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| 16 | 16 | | Sec. 56.501. PURPOSE. Because the Texas State Guard is the |
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| 17 | 17 | | state's only organized, trained, and equipped military force under |
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| 18 | 18 | | the direction of the governor available to respond to natural and |
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| 19 | 19 | | man-made disasters, assistance for tuition and mandatory fees is |
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| 20 | 20 | | provided under this subchapter to eligible members of the Texas |
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| 21 | 21 | | State Guard to encourage voluntary membership, to improve the |
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| 22 | 22 | | education level of its members, to diversify the composition of the |
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| 23 | 23 | | forces, and to enhance the state's workforce. |
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| 24 | 24 | | Sec. 56.502. EXEMPTION. An institution of higher education |
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| 25 | 25 | | shall exempt an eligible person from the payment of tuition and |
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| 26 | 26 | | mandatory fees for the semester credit hours for which the person |
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| 27 | 27 | | enrolls, not to exceed a total of 120 semester credit hours. If the |
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| 28 | 28 | | person is not charged tuition at the rate provided for other Texas |
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| 29 | 29 | | residents, the amount of the exemption may not exceed the amount of |
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| 30 | 30 | | tuition the person would be charged as a Texas resident for the |
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| 31 | 31 | | number of semester credit hours for which the person enrolls, not to |
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| 32 | 32 | | exceed 120 semester credit hours. |
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| 33 | 33 | | Sec. 56.503. ELIGIBILITY. (a) To be eligible to receive |
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| 34 | 34 | | an exemption under this subchapter, a person must: |
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| 35 | 35 | | (1) be a member in good standing for at least one |
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| 36 | 36 | | calendar year, as certified by the adjutant general, of the Texas |
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| 37 | 37 | | State Guard; |
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| 38 | 38 | | (2) commit to serve the Texas State Guard as follows: |
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| 39 | 39 | | (A) for an undergraduate program, eight years, |
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| 40 | 40 | | four years of which must be served while enrolled in an institution |
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| 41 | 41 | | of higher education and four years of which must be served following |
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| 42 | 42 | | the period of enrollment; and |
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| 43 | 43 | | (B) for a graduate program, five years, two years |
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| 44 | 44 | | of which must be served while enrolled in an institution of higher |
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| 45 | 45 | | education and three years of which must be served following the |
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| 46 | 46 | | period of enrollment; and |
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| 47 | 47 | | (3) be selected by the commander of the Texas State |
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| 48 | 48 | | Guard under Subsection (b). |
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| 49 | 49 | | (b) The commander of the Texas State Guard, as the commander |
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| 50 | 50 | | considers appropriate to advance the purposes of this subchapter, |
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| 51 | 51 | | may select no more than 50 members of the Texas State Guard from the |
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| 52 | 52 | | entirety of the state to receive an exemption under this subchapter |
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| 53 | 53 | | for each semester or other academic term. |
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| 54 | 54 | | Sec. 56.504. REPAYMENT. The Texas Higher Education |
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| 55 | 55 | | Coordinating Board by rule shall require a person who does not |
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| 56 | 56 | | fulfill the commitment to serve in the Texas State Guard under |
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| 57 | 57 | | Section 56.503(2) to repay the amount of all tuition and mandatory |
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| 58 | 58 | | fees for which the person received an exemption under this |
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| 59 | 59 | | subchapter to the institution of higher education from which the |
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| 60 | 60 | | person received the exemption. |
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| 61 | 61 | | Sec. 56.505. RULES. The Texas Higher Education |
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| 62 | 62 | | Coordinating Board shall adopt rules as necessary for the |
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| 63 | 63 | | administration of this subchapter. |
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| 64 | 64 | | SECTION 2. (a) The changes in law made by this Act apply |
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| 65 | 65 | | beginning with the 2015 fall semester. |
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| 66 | 66 | | (b) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall |
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| 67 | 67 | | adopt rules for the administration of Subchapter S, Chapter 56, |
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| 68 | 68 | | Education Code, as added by this Act, as soon as practicable after |
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| 69 | 69 | | this Act takes effect. For that purpose, the coordinating board may |
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| 70 | 70 | | adopt the rules in the manner provided by law for emergency rules. |
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| 71 | 71 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 72 | 72 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 73 | 73 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 74 | 74 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 75 | 75 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |
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