| 1 | 1 | | 84R32128 BPG-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Miller of Fort Bend H.R. No. 3239 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 6 | 6 | | WHEREAS, Since World War I, Texas has supported veterans by |
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| 7 | 7 | | providing educational benefits to ease the transition to civilian |
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| 8 | 8 | | life; and |
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| 9 | 9 | | WHEREAS, Under the Hazlewood Act of 1919, the state exempts |
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| 10 | 10 | | veterans from paying tuition and mandatory fees at public |
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| 11 | 11 | | institutions of higher education; the legislature in 2009 began |
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| 12 | 12 | | permitting veterans to give their children up to 150 semester hours |
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| 13 | 13 | | of their own unused Hazlewood benefits, and today, two-thirds of |
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| 14 | 14 | | all Hazlewood benefits are paid to the children of veterans; and |
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| 15 | 15 | | WHEREAS, Since 2009, the cost of Hazlewood benefits to |
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| 16 | 16 | | universities and community colleges has skyrocketed, rising from |
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| 17 | 17 | | nearly $25 million to more than $169 million in 2014; the program, |
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| 18 | 18 | | as currently configured, is projected to cost more than $286 |
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| 19 | 19 | | million by 2017; moreover, a recent federal court ruling on the |
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| 20 | 20 | | program's residency requirements, now under appeal, potentially |
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| 21 | 21 | | opens the program to veterans and their children from across the |
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| 22 | 22 | | entire country; the Texas Veterans Commission estimates that the |
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| 23 | 23 | | cost could exceed $2 billion under that scenario; and |
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| 24 | 24 | | WHEREAS, The Lone Star State is committed to supporting the |
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| 25 | 25 | | men and women who have served our country in the United States |
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| 26 | 26 | | military, but the rising costs of Hazlewood Act benefits are a |
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| 27 | 27 | | source of deep concern; now, therefore, be it |
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| 28 | 28 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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| 29 | 29 | | Legislature hereby request the speaker of the house to create a |
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| 30 | 30 | | select interim committee to examine the Hazlewood Act program; and, |
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| 31 | 31 | | be it further |
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| 32 | 32 | | RESOLVED, That the committee examine the evolution of the |
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| 33 | 33 | | program from its inception, as well as the associated current costs |
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| 34 | 34 | | for both veterans and their children to institutions of higher |
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| 35 | 35 | | education; and, be it further |
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| 36 | 36 | | RESOLVED, That the committee be made up of 11 members of the |
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| 37 | 37 | | house and that it submit a full report, including findings and |
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| 38 | 38 | | recommendations for legislation, to the House of Representatives of |
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| 39 | 39 | | the 85th Texas Legislature when it convenes in January 2017. |
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