| 1 | 1 | | 85R12265 JRJ-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Romero, Jr. H.B. No. 3396 |
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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 establishing a pilot project to offer student loans for |
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| 8 | 8 | | certain courses offered by a public junior college. |
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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. Subchapter A, Chapter 130, Education Code, is |
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| 11 | 11 | | amended by adding Section 130.0037 to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | Sec. 130.0037. PILOT PROJECT: STUDENT LOANS FOR CONTINUING |
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| 13 | 13 | | EDUCATION COURSES. (a) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating |
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| 14 | 14 | | Board shall establish a pilot project to measure the impact of |
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| 15 | 15 | | providing student loans for continuing education courses not |
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| 16 | 16 | | designed to lead to a degree, license, or certification in order to |
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| 17 | 17 | | promote greater access to higher education and more efficient use |
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| 18 | 18 | | of junior college facilities and resources. The coordinating board |
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| 19 | 19 | | shall select the Tarrant County Junior College District to |
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| 20 | 20 | | participate in the pilot project. |
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| 21 | 21 | | (b) The governing board of the Tarrant County Junior College |
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| 22 | 22 | | District may establish and offer, from local funds available to the |
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| 23 | 23 | | district, a student loan program for students pursuing a continuing |
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| 24 | 24 | | education program not designed to lead to a degree, license, or |
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| 25 | 25 | | certification. |
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| 26 | 26 | | (c) A student loan offered under this section may not be |
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| 27 | 27 | | used to pay for courses subject to a performance funding formula |
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| 28 | 28 | | established by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board under |
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| 29 | 29 | | Section 51.3062(m). |
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| 30 | 30 | | (d) Not later than September 1, 2020, the Texas Higher |
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| 31 | 31 | | Education Coordinating Board shall report its findings on the |
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| 32 | 32 | | effectiveness of the student loan program and any recommendation |
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| 33 | 33 | | regarding extending the program to other junior college districts |
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| 34 | 34 | | to the committees of each house of the legislature with |
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| 35 | 35 | | jurisdiction over higher education. This subsection expires |
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| 36 | 36 | | September 1, 2021. |
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| 37 | 37 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 38 | 38 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 39 | 39 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 40 | 40 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 41 | 41 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |
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