84R1850 JSL-D
By: West S.B. No. 358
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to student loan repayment assistance for certain employees
of the Department of Family and Protective Services.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding
Subchapter N to read as follows:
SUBCHAPTER N. REPAYMENT ASSISTANCE FOR CERTAIN DEPARTMENT OF
FAMILY AND PROTECTIVE SERVICES EMPLOYEES
Sec. 61.731. REPAYMENT ASSISTANCE AUTHORIZED. The board
shall establish a program to provide, using funds appropriated for
that purpose and in accordance with this subchapter and rules of the
board, assistance in the repayment of student loans for employees
of the Department of Family and Protective Services who apply and
qualify for the assistance.
Sec. 61.732. ELIGIBILITY. (a) To be eligible to receive
repayment assistance, a person must:
(1) apply to the board; and
(2) have been employed for at least one year as, and be
currently employed full-time at the Department of Family and
Protective Services as:
(A) a child protective services family-based
safety services caseworker;
(B) a child protective services investigator;
(C) a child-care licensing investigator or
inspector; or
(D) a residential child-care licensing
investigator or inspector.
(b) In awarding repayment assistance to first-time
applicants, the board shall give priority to applicants who
demonstrate financial need.
Sec. 61.733. AMOUNT OF REPAYMENT ASSISTANCE; LIMITATION.
(a) For each year that a person meets the eligibility requirements
provided by Section 61.732, the person may receive repayment
assistance under this subchapter in an amount determined by board
rule, not to exceed $2,500.
(b) A person may not receive repayment assistance under this
subchapter for more than four years.
(c) If the money available for repayment assistance in a
period for which assistance is awarded is insufficient to provide
assistance to all eligible applicants described by Section
61.732(b), the board shall award repayment assistance to eligible
applicants by prioritizing awards to applicants employed in regions
of this state experiencing the highest turnover.
Sec. 61.734. ELIGIBLE LOANS. (a) The board may provide
repayment assistance for the repayment of any student loan for
education at a public or private institution of higher education,
including loans for undergraduate education and graduate
education, issued through any lender.
(b) The board may not provide repayment assistance for a
student loan that is in default at the time of the person's
application.
Sec. 61.735. REPAYMENT. (a) The board shall deliver any
repayment assistance made under this subchapter in a lump sum
directly to the lender or other holder of the loan on the person's
behalf and in accordance with any applicable federal law.
(b) Repayment assistance received under this subchapter may
be applied to the principal amount of the loan and to interest that
accrues.
Sec. 61.736. FUNDING. (a) The repayment assistance
program established by this subchapter is funded only from
appropriations made specifically to fund the program and from
gifts, grants, and donations. The board shall attempt to provide
repayment assistance in each state fiscal biennium in amounts
sufficient to use all amounts appropriated for the program in that
biennium.
(b) The board may solicit and accept gifts, grants, and
donations from any public or private source for the purposes of this
subchapter.
Sec. 61.737. RULES. (a) The board shall adopt rules
necessary for the administration of this subchapter, including a
rule that establishes the amount of repayment assistance awarded to
eligible persons each year.
(b) The board shall distribute to each institution of higher
education, the Department of Family and Protective Services, and
appropriate professional associations copies of the rules adopted
under this section and pertinent information in this subchapter.
SECTION 2. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
shall adopt the rules for the repayment assistance program under
Subchapter N, Chapter 61, Education Code, as added by this Act, not
later than December 1, 2015.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015.