Texas 2015 - 84th Regular

Texas House Bill HB727 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	84R4382 KSD-D
2	2	By: Lucio III H.B. No. 727
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the establishment of a pilot program under which high
8	8	school students may accrue prepaid tuition units at public
9	9	institutions of higher education by completing certain community
10	10	service activities.
11	11	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12	SECTION 1. Subchapter H, Chapter 54, Education Code, is
13	13	amended by adding Section 54.7522 to read as follows:
14	14	Sec. 54.7522. SERVE YOUR WAY TO COLLEGE PILOT PROGRAM. (a)
15	15	In this section:
16	16	(1) "Participating organization" means a nonprofit,
17	17	charitable, or community organization that registers with and is
18	18	approved by the board to participate in the Serve Your Way to
19	19	College pilot program under this section.
20	20	(2) "Pilot program" means the Serve Your Way to
21	21	College pilot program established under this section.
22	22	(3) "Qualifying community service activity" includes
23	23	work performed by a student for a participating organization, other
24	24	than:
25	25	(A) fund-raising activities;
26	26	(B) political activities;
27	27	(C) any activity for which the student may earn
28	28	course credit; or
29	29	(D) any activity that reduces the work of or
30	30	displaces a current employee of the organization.
31	31	(b) The board by rule shall develop and implement the Serve
32	32	Your Way to College pilot program, under which students enrolled in
33	33	grades 7-12 at public schools in participating school districts in
34	34	this state may accrue prepaid tuition units under this subchapter
35	35	for completing qualifying community service activities.
36	36	(c) The board, in cooperation with the commissioner of
37	37	education, shall select to participate in the pilot program one
38	38	school district from each of the following geographic regions of
39	39	this state:
40	40	(1) North Texas;
41	41	(2) South Texas;
42	42	(3) East Texas;
43	43	(4) West Texas; and
44	44	(5) Central Texas.
45	45	(d) The school districts selected under Subsection (c) to
46	46	participate in the pilot program must include at least one urban
47	47	district, one rural district, one small district, and one large
48	48	district.
49	49	(e) To participate in the pilot program, a student must
50	50	register with the board, in the manner prescribed by the board, not
51	51	later than 3-1/2 academic years before the student's expected high
52	52	school graduation date.
53	53	(f) Except as provided by Subsection (h)(2), for each hour a
54	54	participating student engages in a qualifying community service
55	55	activity, the student earns a credit in the amount prescribed by the
56	56	board to be applied toward the purchase of tuition units on behalf
57	57	of the student under this subchapter. The hourly amount of the
58	58	credit prescribed under this subsection may not be less than the
59	59	federal minimum hourly wage.
60	60	(g) The board shall act as purchaser under this subchapter
61	61	for each student who participates in the pilot program. In
62	62	purchasing prepaid tuition credits for the student, the board shall
63	63	purchase the type of unit as directed by the student or, if the
64	64	student is a minor, as directed by the student's parents or
65	65	guardian. If the student or the student's parents or guardian does
66	66	not direct the board regarding the type of unit to be purchased, the
67	67	board shall purchase the type of prepaid tuition unit the board
68	68	considers appropriate.
69	69	(h) Each participating student:
70	70	(1) is responsible for securing the student's
71	71	placement with a participating organization; and
72	72	(2) may accrue prepaid tuition units under this
73	73	section for qualifying community service activities performed by
74	74	the student for one or more participating organizations, except
75	75	that the student:
76	76	(A) must perform at least 50 hours of qualifying
77	77	community service activities before any tuition unit may be
78	78	purchased on behalf of the student under this section; and
79	79	(B) may not accrue tuition units under this
80	80	section for qualifying community service activities performed by
81	81	the student for one or more participating organizations in excess
82	82	of 250 hours per year.
83	83	(i) Notwithstanding any other provision of this subchapter,
84	84	a student:
85	85	(1) may redeem tuition units purchased by the board on
86	86	behalf of the student under this section only to pay costs of
87	87	tuition and required fees for enrollment at a general academic
88	88	teaching institution or two-year institution of higher education;
89	89	and
90	90	(2) may not redeem tuition units purchased by the
91	91	board on behalf of the student under this section:
92	92	(A) before the third anniversary of the date the
93	93	tuition units were purchased; or
94	94	(B) after the 10th anniversary of the date the
95	95	beneficiary was projected to graduate from high school when the
96	96	beneficiary initially registered with the board to participate in
97	97	the pilot program.
98	98	(j) Sections 54.759(a) and (b) do not apply to tuition units
99	99	purchased under this section. For tuition units purchased on
100	100	behalf of a beneficiary under this section, the board shall
101	101	designate a new beneficiary only if:
102	102	(1) the original beneficiary has died;
103	103	(2) the original beneficiary's parents or guardian has
104	104	requested the designation of the new beneficiary; and
105	105	(3) the new beneficiary:
106	106	(A) is related to the original beneficiary by
107	107	consanguinity or marriage;
108	108	(B) is currently enrolled in a high school or
109	109	institution of higher education in this state;
110	110	(C) meets the requirements for a beneficiary
111	111	under this subchapter on the date the designation is changed; and
112	112	(D) meets the requirements of Section 529,
113	113	Internal Revenue Code of 1986, to prevent the change of beneficiary
114	114	from being treated as a distribution under that law.
115	115	(k) Notwithstanding Section 54.763, money used to purchase
116	116	tuition units under this section may not be refunded to the board or
117	117	any other person.
118	118	(l) The board shall adopt forms for the administration of
119	119	this section, including registration forms for students and
120	120	participating organizations.
121	121	(m) The board may solicit and accept gifts, grants, and
122	122	donations from any public or private source for the purposes of this
123	123	section.
124	124	(n) Each participating school district, as soon as
125	125	practicable at the beginning of a student's seventh, eighth, and
126	126	ninth grade years, shall provide information to the student and the
127	127	student's parents or guardian regarding the pilot program.
128	128	(o) Not later than January 1, 2023, the board shall prepare
129	129	and deliver to the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of
130	130	representatives, and the presiding officer of the standing
131	131	committee of each house of the legislature with primary
132	132	jurisdiction over higher education a report addressing the success
133	133	of the pilot program under this section. This subsection expires
134	134	September 1, 2024.
135	135	SECTION 2. The Prepaid Higher Education Tuition Board shall
136	136	adopt rules to implement the Serve Your Way to College pilot program
137	137	as required by Section 54.7522, Education Code, as added by this
138	138	Act, beginning with the 2016-2017 school year.
139	139	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
140	140	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
141	141	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
142	142	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
143	143	Act takes effect September 1, 2015.