| 1 | 1 | | 85R8525 SRS-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Cosper H.B. No. 2419 |
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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 an exemption for current and former members of the armed |
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| 8 | 8 | | services from the requirement that an incoming student at a public |
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| 9 | 9 | | or private or independent institution of higher education show |
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| 10 | 10 | | proof of vaccination against bacterial meningitis. |
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| 11 | 11 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 12 | 12 | | SECTION 1. Section 51.9192, Education Code, is amended by |
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| 13 | 13 | | amending Subsection (c) and adding Subsections (d-7) and (d-8) to |
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| 14 | 14 | | read as follows: |
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| 15 | 15 | | (c) Except as provided by Subsection (d) or (d-7), a student |
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| 16 | 16 | | to whom this section applies or a parent or guardian of the student |
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| 17 | 17 | | must provide to the institution, at the time and in the manner |
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| 18 | 18 | | prescribed by rules adopted by the Texas Higher Education |
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| 19 | 19 | | Coordinating Board, a certificate signed by a health practitioner |
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| 20 | 20 | | or an official immunization record evidencing that the student has |
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| 21 | 21 | | received a bacterial meningitis vaccination dose or booster during |
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| 22 | 22 | | the five-year period preceding the date established by the |
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| 23 | 23 | | coordinating board under Subsection (e). |
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| 24 | 24 | | (d-7) A student to whom this section applies is not required |
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| 25 | 25 | | to comply with Subsection (c) if the student submits to the |
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| 26 | 26 | | appropriate admitting official of the institution, at the time and |
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| 27 | 27 | | in the manner prescribed by rules adopted by the Texas Higher |
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| 28 | 28 | | Education Coordinating Board: |
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| 29 | 29 | | (1) an affidavit confirming the student's current or |
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| 30 | 30 | | former service as a member of the armed forces of the United States; |
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| 31 | 31 | | or |
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| 32 | 32 | | (2) the student's valid military identification card. |
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| 33 | 33 | | (d-8) An institution of higher education or private or |
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| 34 | 34 | | independent institution of higher education may develop and |
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| 35 | 35 | | implement a secure, Internet-based process to be used for an |
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| 36 | 36 | | entering student to submit the information described by Subsection |
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| 37 | 37 | | (d-7) online. |
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| 38 | 38 | | SECTION 2. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board |
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| 39 | 39 | | shall adopt the rules required by Section 51.9192(d-7), Education |
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| 40 | 40 | | Code, as added by this Act, as soon as practicable following the |
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| 41 | 41 | | effective date of this Act. |
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| 42 | 42 | | SECTION 3. The change in law made by this Act applies |
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| 43 | 43 | | beginning with entering students enrolling in public or private or |
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| 44 | 44 | | independent institutions of higher education in this state on or |
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| 45 | 45 | | after January 1, 2018. |
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| 46 | 46 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 47 | 47 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 48 | 48 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 49 | 49 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 50 | 50 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |
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