| 1 | 1 | | 84R1850 JSL-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: West S.B. No. 358 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to student loan repayment assistance for certain employees |
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| 8 | 8 | | of the Department of Family and Protective Services. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding |
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| 11 | 11 | | Subchapter N to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | SUBCHAPTER N. REPAYMENT ASSISTANCE FOR CERTAIN DEPARTMENT OF |
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| 13 | 13 | | FAMILY AND PROTECTIVE SERVICES EMPLOYEES |
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| 14 | 14 | | Sec. 61.731. REPAYMENT ASSISTANCE AUTHORIZED. The board |
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| 15 | 15 | | shall establish a program to provide, using funds appropriated for |
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| 16 | 16 | | that purpose and in accordance with this subchapter and rules of the |
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| 17 | 17 | | board, assistance in the repayment of student loans for employees |
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| 18 | 18 | | of the Department of Family and Protective Services who apply and |
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| 19 | 19 | | qualify for the assistance. |
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| 20 | 20 | | Sec. 61.732. ELIGIBILITY. (a) To be eligible to receive |
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| 21 | 21 | | repayment assistance, a person must: |
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| 22 | 22 | | (1) apply to the board; and |
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| 23 | 23 | | (2) have been employed for at least one year as, and be |
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| 24 | 24 | | currently employed full-time at the Department of Family and |
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| 25 | 25 | | Protective Services as: |
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| 26 | 26 | | (A) a child protective services family-based |
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| 27 | 27 | | safety services caseworker; |
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| 28 | 28 | | (B) a child protective services investigator; |
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| 29 | 29 | | (C) a child-care licensing investigator or |
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| 30 | 30 | | inspector; or |
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| 31 | 31 | | (D) a residential child-care licensing |
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| 32 | 32 | | investigator or inspector. |
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| 33 | 33 | | (b) In awarding repayment assistance to first-time |
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| 34 | 34 | | applicants, the board shall give priority to applicants who |
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| 35 | 35 | | demonstrate financial need. |
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| 36 | 36 | | Sec. 61.733. AMOUNT OF REPAYMENT ASSISTANCE; LIMITATION. |
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| 37 | 37 | | (a) For each year that a person meets the eligibility requirements |
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| 38 | 38 | | provided by Section 61.732, the person may receive repayment |
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| 39 | 39 | | assistance under this subchapter in an amount determined by board |
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| 40 | 40 | | rule, not to exceed $2,500. |
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| 41 | 41 | | (b) A person may not receive repayment assistance under this |
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| 42 | 42 | | subchapter for more than four years. |
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| 43 | 43 | | (c) If the money available for repayment assistance in a |
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| 44 | 44 | | period for which assistance is awarded is insufficient to provide |
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| 45 | 45 | | assistance to all eligible applicants described by Section |
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| 46 | 46 | | 61.732(b), the board shall award repayment assistance to eligible |
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| 47 | 47 | | applicants by prioritizing awards to applicants employed in regions |
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| 48 | 48 | | of this state experiencing the highest turnover. |
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| 49 | 49 | | Sec. 61.734. ELIGIBLE LOANS. (a) The board may provide |
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| 50 | 50 | | repayment assistance for the repayment of any student loan for |
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| 51 | 51 | | education at a public or private institution of higher education, |
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| 52 | 52 | | including loans for undergraduate education and graduate |
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| 53 | 53 | | education, issued through any lender. |
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| 54 | 54 | | (b) The board may not provide repayment assistance for a |
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| 55 | 55 | | student loan that is in default at the time of the person's |
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| 56 | 56 | | application. |
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| 57 | 57 | | Sec. 61.735. REPAYMENT. (a) The board shall deliver any |
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| 58 | 58 | | repayment assistance made under this subchapter in a lump sum |
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| 59 | 59 | | directly to the lender or other holder of the loan on the person's |
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| 60 | 60 | | behalf and in accordance with any applicable federal law. |
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| 61 | 61 | | (b) Repayment assistance received under this subchapter may |
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| 62 | 62 | | be applied to the principal amount of the loan and to interest that |
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| 63 | 63 | | accrues. |
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| 64 | 64 | | Sec. 61.736. FUNDING. (a) The repayment assistance |
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| 65 | 65 | | program established by this subchapter is funded only from |
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| 66 | 66 | | appropriations made specifically to fund the program and from |
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| 67 | 67 | | gifts, grants, and donations. The board shall attempt to provide |
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| 68 | 68 | | repayment assistance in each state fiscal biennium in amounts |
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| 69 | 69 | | sufficient to use all amounts appropriated for the program in that |
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| 70 | 70 | | biennium. |
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| 71 | 71 | | (b) The board may solicit and accept gifts, grants, and |
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| 72 | 72 | | donations from any public or private source for the purposes of this |
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| 73 | 73 | | subchapter. |
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| 74 | 74 | | Sec. 61.737. RULES. (a) The board shall adopt rules |
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| 75 | 75 | | necessary for the administration of this subchapter, including a |
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| 76 | 76 | | rule that establishes the amount of repayment assistance awarded to |
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| 77 | 77 | | eligible persons each year. |
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| 78 | 78 | | (b) The board shall distribute to each institution of higher |
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| 79 | 79 | | education, the Department of Family and Protective Services, and |
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| 80 | 80 | | appropriate professional associations copies of the rules adopted |
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| 81 | 81 | | under this section and pertinent information in this subchapter. |
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| 82 | 82 | | SECTION 2. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board |
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| 83 | 83 | | shall adopt the rules for the repayment assistance program under |
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| 84 | 84 | | Subchapter N, Chapter 61, Education Code, as added by this Act, not |
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| 85 | 85 | | later than December 1, 2015. |
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| 86 | 86 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |
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