| 7 | 2 | | |
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| 8 | 3 | | |
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| 9 | 4 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 10 | 5 | | AN ACT |
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| 11 | 6 | | relating to tuition and fee exemptions for certain students |
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| 12 | 7 | | enrolled in fire science courses at public institutions of higher |
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| 13 | 8 | | education. |
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| 14 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 15 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Section 54.353(a), Education Code, is amended to |
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| 16 | 11 | | read as follows: |
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| 17 | 12 | | (a) The governing board of an institution of higher |
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| 18 | 13 | | education shall exempt from the payment of tuition and laboratory |
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| 19 | 14 | | fees any student enrolled in one or more courses offered as part of |
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| 20 | 15 | | a fire science curriculum who: |
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| 21 | 16 | | (1) is employed as a firefighter by a political |
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| 22 | 17 | | subdivision of this state; or |
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| 23 | 18 | | (2) is currently, and has been for at least one year, |
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| 24 | 19 | | an active member of an organized volunteer fire department |
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| 25 | 20 | | [participating in the Texas Emergency Services Retirement System or |
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| 26 | 21 | | a retirement system established under the Texas Local Fire Fighters |
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| 27 | 22 | | Retirement Act (Article 6243e, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes) and] |
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| 28 | 23 | | who [holds]: |
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| 29 | 24 | | (A) holds an Accredited Advanced level of |
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| 30 | 25 | | certification, or an equivalent successor certification, under the |
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| 31 | 26 | | State Firefighters' [Firemen's] and Fire Marshals' Association of |
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| 32 | 27 | | Texas volunteer certification program; [or] |
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| 33 | 28 | | (B) holds a Phase V (Firefighter II) |
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| 34 | 29 | | certification, or an equivalent successor certification, under the |
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| 35 | 30 | | Texas Commission on Fire Protection's voluntary certification |
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| 36 | 31 | | program under Section 419.071, Government Code; or |
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| 37 | 32 | | (C) participates in the Texas Emergency Services |
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| 38 | 33 | | Retirement System or a retirement system established under the |
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| 39 | 34 | | Texas Local Fire Fighters Retirement Act (Article 6243e, Vernon's |
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| 40 | 35 | | Texas Civil Statutes). |
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| 41 | 36 | | SECTION 2. Section 54.353(a), Education Code, as amended by |
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| 42 | 37 | | this Act, applies beginning with tuition and laboratory fees |
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| 43 | 38 | | charged for the 2015 fall semester. Tuition and laboratory fees |
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| 44 | 39 | | charged for an academic period before that semester are covered by |
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| 45 | 40 | | the law in effect immediately before the effective date of this Act, |
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| 46 | 41 | | and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. |
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| 47 | 42 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 48 | 43 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 49 | 44 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 50 | 45 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 51 | 46 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |
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