| 4 | 3 | | |
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| 5 | 4 | | |
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| 6 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 7 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 8 | 7 | | relating to the automatic admission to general academic teaching |
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| 9 | 8 | | institutions and eligibility for certain scholarships of a student |
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| 10 | 9 | | who is the valedictorian of the student's high school graduating |
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| 11 | 10 | | class. |
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| 12 | 11 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 13 | 12 | | SECTION 1. Section 51.803, Education Code, is amended by |
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| 14 | 13 | | adding Subsection (d-1) and amending Subsection (h) to read as |
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| 15 | 14 | | follows: |
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| 16 | 15 | | (d-1) In addition to admissions required under Subsection |
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| 17 | 16 | | (a), each general academic teaching institution shall admit an |
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| 18 | 17 | | applicant for admission to the institution as an undergraduate if |
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| 19 | 18 | | the applicant graduated as the valedictorian of the student's high |
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| 20 | 19 | | school graduating class in one of the two school years preceding the |
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| 21 | 20 | | academic year for which the student is applying for admission and |
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| 22 | 21 | | satisfies the requirements of Subsections (a)(1) through (3). |
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| 23 | 22 | | Subsections (b) and (c) apply to an applicant for admission under |
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| 24 | 23 | | this subsection. |
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| 25 | 24 | | (h) An institution that admits under this section an |
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| 26 | 25 | | applicant qualified for automatic admission under Subsection (a) or |
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| 27 | 26 | | (d-1) may admit the applicant for either the fall semester of the |
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| 28 | 27 | | academic year for which the applicant applies or for the summer |
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| 29 | 28 | | session preceding that fall semester, as determined by the |
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| 30 | 29 | | institution. |
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| 31 | 30 | | SECTION 2. Section 56.484, Education Code, is amended to |
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| 32 | 31 | | read as follows: |
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| 33 | 32 | | Sec. 56.484. INITIAL ELIGIBILITY FOR SCHOLARSHIP. To be |
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| 34 | 33 | | eligible for a scholarship under this subchapter, a student must: |
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| 35 | 34 | | (1) have graduated from a public or accredited private |
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| 36 | 35 | | high school in this state while ranked in the top 10 percent or as |
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| 37 | 36 | | the valedictorian of the student's graduating class, subject to |
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| 38 | 37 | | Section 56.487(b); |
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| 39 | 38 | | (2) have completed the recommended or advanced high |
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| 40 | 39 | | school curriculum established under Section 28.025 or its |
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| 41 | 40 | | equivalent; |
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| 42 | 41 | | (3) have applied for admission as a first-time |
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| 43 | 42 | | freshman student for the 2010-2011 academic year or a subsequent |
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| 44 | 43 | | academic year to an institution of higher education that has |
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| 45 | 44 | | elected to offer admissions for that academic year to applicants as |
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| 46 | 45 | | provided by Section 51.803(a-1); |
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| 47 | 46 | | (4) enroll as a first-time freshman student in an |
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| 48 | 47 | | institution of higher education not later than the 16th month after |
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| 49 | 48 | | the date of the student's high school graduation; |
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| 50 | 49 | | (5) have been awarded a TEXAS grant under Subchapter M |
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| 51 | 50 | | for the same semester or other academic term for which the |
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| 52 | 51 | | scholarship will be awarded; |
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| 53 | 52 | | (6) be a Texas resident under Section 54.052; and |
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| 54 | 53 | | (7) comply with any other eligibility requirements |
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| 55 | 54 | | established by coordinating board rule. |
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| 56 | 55 | | SECTION 3. Section 51.803(d-1), Education Code, as added by |
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| 57 | 56 | | this Act, applies beginning with admissions to a general academic |
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| 58 | 57 | | teaching institution for the 2017-2018 academic year. Admissions |
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| 59 | 58 | | to a general academic teaching institution for an academic year |
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| 60 | 59 | | before that academic year are governed by the law in effect |
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| 61 | 60 | | immediately before the effective date of this Act, and the former |
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| 62 | 61 | | law is continued in effect for that purpose. |
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| 63 | 62 | | SECTION 4. The change in law made by this Act to Section |
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| 64 | 63 | | 56.484, Education Code, applies beginning with scholarships |
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| 65 | 64 | | awarded for the 2017-2018 academic year. Scholarships awarded for |
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| 66 | 65 | | an academic year before that academic year are governed by the law |
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| 67 | 66 | | in effect immediately before the effective date of this Act, and the |
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| 68 | 67 | | former law is continued in effect for that purpose. |
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| 69 | 68 | | SECTION 5. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 70 | 69 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 71 | 70 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 72 | 71 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 73 | 72 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |
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