Texas 2015 - 84th Regular

Texas House Bill HB3073 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	84R799 KEL-D
2	2	By: Springer H.B. No. 3073
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to eligibility for a TEXAS grant.
8	8	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
9	9	SECTION 1. Subchapter M, Chapter 56, Education Code, is
10	10	amended by adding Section 56.3031 to read as follows:
11	11	Sec. 56.3031. FINANCIAL NEED. (a) The coordinating board
12	12	by rule shall establish financial need requirements for applicants
13	13	to demonstrate eligibility to receive initial or subsequent TEXAS
14	14	grants under this subchapter.
15	15	(b) The rules must require each applicant to demonstrate
16	16	eligibility for federal financial aid but may not require the
17	17	applicant to meet a financial need requirement applicable to a
18	18	particular federal financial aid program.
19	19	(c) Section 56.3045(b)(2) does not apply to the eligibility
20	20	requirement described by Subsection (b).
21	21	SECTION 2. Section 56.304(a), Education Code, is amended to
22	22	read as follows:
23	23	(a) To be eligible initially for a TEXAS grant, a person who
24	24	graduated from high school before May 1, 2013, must:
25	25	(1) be a resident of this state as determined by
26	26	coordinating board rules;
27	27	(2) meet either of the following academic
28	28	requirements:
29	29	(A) be a graduate of a public or accredited
30	30	private high school in this state who graduated not earlier than the
31	31	1998-1999 school year and who completed the recommended or advanced
32	32	high school curriculum established under Section 28.002 or 28.025
33	33	or its equivalent; or
34	34	(B) have received an associate degree from a
35	35	public or private institution of higher education not earlier than
36	36	May 1, 2001;
37	37	(3) meet financial need requirements established [as
38	38	defined] by the coordinating board under Section 56.3031;
39	39	(4) be enrolled in a baccalaureate degree program at
40	40	an eligible institution;
41	41	(5) be enrolled as:
42	42	(A) an entering undergraduate student for at
43	43	least three-fourths of a full course load for an entering
44	44	undergraduate student, as determined by the coordinating board, not
45	45	later than the 16th month after the date of the person's graduation
46	46	from high school; or
47	47	(B) an entering student for at least
48	48	three-fourths of a full course load for an undergraduate student as
49	49	determined by the coordinating board, not later than the 12th month
50	50	after the month the person receives an associate degree from a
51	51	public or private institution of higher education;
52	52	(6) have applied for any available financial aid or
53	53	assistance; and
54	54	(7) comply with any additional nonacademic
55	55	requirement adopted by the coordinating board under this
56	56	subchapter.
57	57	SECTION 3. Section 56.3041(a), Education Code, is amended
58	58	to read as follows:
59	59	(a) To be eligible initially for a TEXAS grant, a person
60	60	graduating from high school on or after May 1, 2013, and enrolling
61	61	in an eligible institution must:
62	62	(1) be a resident of this state as determined by
63	63	coordinating board rules;
64	64	(2) meet the academic requirements prescribed by
65	65	Paragraph (A), (B), (C), or (D) as follows:
66	66	(A) be a graduate of a public or accredited
67	67	private high school in this state who completed the foundation high
68	68	school program established under Section 28.025 or its equivalent
69	69	and have accomplished any two or more of the following:
70	70	(i) successful completion of the course
71	71	requirements of the international baccalaureate diploma program or
72	72	earning of the equivalent of at least 12 semester credit hours of
73	73	college credit in high school through courses described in Sections
74	74	28.009(a)(1), (2), and (3);
75	75	(ii) satisfaction of the Texas Success
76	76	Initiative (TSI) college readiness benchmarks prescribed by the
77	77	coordinating board under Section 51.3062(f) on any assessment
78	78	instrument designated by the coordinating board under Section
79	79	51.3062(c) or qualification for an exemption as described by
80	80	Section 51.3062(p), (q), or (q-1);
81	81	(iii) graduation in the top one-third of
82	82	the person's high school graduating class or graduation from high
83	83	school with a grade point average of at least 3.0 on a four-point
84	84	scale or the equivalent; or
85	85	(iv) completion for high school credit of
86	86	at least one advanced mathematics course following the successful
87	87	completion of an Algebra II course or at least one advanced career
88	88	and technical or technology applications course;
89	89	(B) have received an associate degree from a
90	90	public or private institution of higher education;
91	91	(C) be an undergraduate student who has:
92	92	(i) previously attended another
93	93	institution of higher education;
94	94	(ii) received an initial Texas Educational
95	95	Opportunity Grant under Subchapter P for the 2014 fall semester or a
96	96	subsequent academic term;
97	97	(iii) completed at least 24 semester credit
98	98	hours at any institution or institutions of higher education; and
99	99	(iv) earned an overall grade point average
100	100	of at least 2.5 on a four-point scale or the equivalent on all
101	101	course work previously attempted; or
102	102	(D) if sufficient money is available, meet the
103	103	eligibility criteria described by Section 56.304(a)(2)(A);
104	104	(3) meet financial need requirements established by
105	105	the coordinating board under Section 56.3031;
106	106	(4) be enrolled in an undergraduate degree or
107	107	certificate program at an eligible institution;
108	108	(5) except as provided under rules adopted under
109	109	Section 56.304(h), be enrolled as:
110	110	(A) an entering undergraduate student for at
111	111	least three-fourths of a full course load, as determined by the
112	112	coordinating board, not later than the 16th month after the
113	113	calendar month in which the person graduated from high school;
114	114	(B) an entering undergraduate student who
115	115	entered military service not later than the first anniversary of
116	116	the date the person graduated from high school and who enrolled for
117	117	at least three-fourths of a full course load, as determined by the
118	118	coordinating board, at the eligible institution not later than 12
119	119	months after being honorably discharged from military service;
120	120	(C) a continuing undergraduate student for at
121	121	least three-fourths of a full course load, as determined by the
122	122	coordinating board, not later than the 12th month after the
123	123	calendar month in which the person received an associate degree
124	124	from a public or private institution of higher education; or
125	125	(D) an undergraduate student described by
126	126	Subdivision (2)(C) who has never previously received a TEXAS grant;
127	127	(6) have applied for any available financial aid or
128	128	assistance; and
129	129	(7) comply with any additional nonacademic
130	130	requirements adopted by the coordinating board under this
131	131	subchapter.
132	132	SECTION 4. Section 56.305(a), Education Code, is amended to
133	133	read as follows:
134	134	(a) After initially qualifying for a TEXAS grant, a person
135	135	may continue to receive a TEXAS grant during each semester or term
136	136	in which the person is enrolled at an eligible institution only if
137	137	the person:
138	138	(1) meets financial need requirements as established
139	139	[defined] by the coordinating board under Section 56.3031;
140	140	(2) is enrolled in a baccalaureate degree program at
141	141	an eligible institution;
142	142	(3) is enrolled for at least three-fourths of a full
143	143	course load for an undergraduate student, as determined by the
144	144	coordinating board;
145	145	(4) makes satisfactory academic progress toward a
146	146	baccalaureate degree; and
147	147	(5) complies with any additional nonacademic
148	148	requirement adopted by the coordinating board.
149	149	SECTION 5. The change in law made by this Act in adding
150	150	Section 56.3031, Education Code, applies beginning with initial or
151	151	subsequent TEXAS grants awarded for the 2015 fall semester. Initial
152	152	or subsequent TEXAS grants awarded for a semester or term before the
153	153	2015 fall semester are governed by the applicable law in effect
154	154	immediately before the effective date of this Act, and the former
155	155	law is continued in effect for that purpose.
156	156	SECTION 6. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
157	157	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
158	158	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
159	159	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
160	160	Act takes effect September 1, 2015.