Texas 2017 - 85th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB886 Compare Versions

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1	1	By: Seliger S.B. No. 886
2	2	(In the Senate - Filed February 14, 2017;
3	3	February 28, 2017, read first time and referred to Committee on
4	4	Higher Education; May 1, 2017, reported adversely, with favorable
5	5	Committee Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 7, Nays 0;
6	6	May 1, 2017, sent to printer.)
7	7	Click here to see the committee vote
8	8	COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 886 By: Seliger
9	9
10	10
11	11	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
12	12	AN ACT
13	13	relating to the Texas Educational Opportunity Grant Program.
14	14	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
15	15	SECTION 1. Section 56.402(b), Education Code, is amended to
16	16	read as follows:
17	17	(b) The purpose of this subchapter is to provide a grant of
18	18	money to enable eligible students to attend eligible [two-year
19	19	public] institutions [of higher education] in this state.
20	20	SECTION 2. Sections 56.404(a), (c), (d), and (f), Education
21	21	Code, are amended to read as follows:
22	22	(a) To be eligible initially for a grant under the grant
23	23	program, a person must:
24	24	(1) be a resident of this state as determined by
25	25	coordinating board rules;
26	26	(2) meet financial need requirements as defined by the
27	27	coordinating board;
28	28	(3) be enrolled in an associate or baccalaureate
29	29	degree program or a certificate program at an eligible institution;
30	30	(4) be enrolled as an entering student for at least
31	31	one-half of a full course load for an entering student in the
32	32	associate or baccalaureate degree program or a certificate program,
33	33	as determined by the coordinating board;
34	34	(5) have applied for any available financial aid or
35	35	assistance; and
36	36	(6) comply with any additional nonacademic
37	37	requirement adopted by the coordinating board under this
38	38	subchapter.
39	39	(c) A person is not eligible to receive a grant under this
40	40	subchapter if the person has been granted:
41	41	(1) an associate degree, if the person is enrolled in
42	42	an associate degree or certificate program; or
43	43	(2) a baccalaureate degree.
44	44	(d) A person may not receive a grant under this subchapter
45	45	for more than:
46	46	(1) for a person enrolled in an associate degree or
47	47	certificate program, 75 semester credit hours or the equivalent; or
48	48	(2) for a person enrolled in a baccalaureate degree
49	49	program, the greater of:
50	50	(A) 15 semester credit hours or the equivalent
51	51	more than the total number of semester credit hours or the
52	52	equivalent required by the institution for the degree program in
53	53	which the person is enrolled; or
54	54	(B) 135 semester credit hours or the equivalent.
55	55	(f) A person's eligibility for a grant under this subchapter
56	56	ends on:
57	57	(1) the fourth anniversary of the initial award of a
58	58	grant under this subchapter to the person and the person's
59	59	enrollment in an eligible institution, if the person is enrolled in
60	60	a degree or certificate program of two years or less; or
61	61	(2) the fifth anniversary of the initial award of a
62	62	grant under this subchapter to the person and the person's
63	63	enrollment in an eligible institution, if the person is enrolled in
64	64	a degree program of more than two years.
65	65	SECTION 3. Sections 56.405(a), (d), and (f), Education
66	66	Code, are amended to read as follows:
67	67	(a) After initially qualifying for a grant under this
68	68	subchapter, a person may continue to receive a grant under this
69	69	subchapter during each semester or term in which the person is
70	70	enrolled at an eligible institution only if the person:
71	71	(1) meets financial need requirements as defined by
72	72	the coordinating board;
73	73	(2) is enrolled in an associate or baccalaureate
74	74	degree program or a certificate program at an eligible institution;
75	75	(3) is enrolled for at least one-half of a full course
76	76	load for a student in an associate or baccalaureate degree program
77	77	or a certificate program, as determined by the coordinating board;
78	78	(4) makes satisfactory academic progress toward an
79	79	associate or baccalaureate degree or a certificate; and
80	80	(5) complies with any additional nonacademic
81	81	requirement adopted by the coordinating board.
82	82	(d) For the purpose of this section, a person makes
83	83	satisfactory academic progress toward an associate or
84	84	baccalaureate degree or a certificate only if:
85	85	(1) in the person's first academic year the person
86	86	meets the satisfactory academic progress requirements of the
87	87	institution at which the person is enrolled; and
88	88	(2) in a subsequent academic year, the person:
89	89	(A) completes at least 75 percent of the semester
90	90	credit hours attempted in the student's most recent academic year;
91	91	and
92	92	(B) has earned an overall grade point average of
93	93	at least 2.5 on a four-point scale or the equivalent on course work
94	94	previously attempted at institutions of higher education.
95	95	(f) The coordinating board shall adopt rules to allow a
96	96	person who is otherwise eligible to receive a grant under this
97	97	subchapter, in the event of a hardship or for other good cause
98	98	shown, including a showing of a severe illness or other
99	99	debilitating condition that may affect the person's academic
100	100	performance or that the person is responsible for the care of a
101	101	sick, injured, or needy person and that the person's provision of
102	102	care may affect the person's academic performance, to receive a
103	103	grant under this subchapter:
104	104	(1) while enrolled in a number of semester credit
105	105	hours that is less than the number of semester credit hours required
106	106	under Subsection (a)(3); [or]
107	107	(2) if the student's grade point average or completion
108	108	rate falls below the satisfactory academic progress requirements of
109	109	Subsection (d);
110	110	(3) for a number of semester credit hours that is
111	111	greater than the number of semester credit hours permitted under
112	112	Section 56.404(d); or
113	113	(4) for a number of years that is greater than the
114	114	number of years for which the person is eligible to receive a grant
115	115	under Section 56.404(f).
116	116	SECTION 4. Section 56.407(a), Education Code, is amended to
117	117	read as follows:
118	118	(a) The amount of a grant under this subchapter for a
119	119	student enrolled full-time at an eligible institution is the amount
120	120	determined by the coordinating board as the average statewide
121	121	amount of tuition and required fees that [a resident student
122	122	enrolled full-time in an associate degree or certificate program]
123	123	would be charged for that semester or term at eligible institutions
124	124	to a resident student enrolled full-time in:
125	125	(1) an associate degree or certificate program, if the
126	126	student receiving the grant is enrolled in an associate degree or
127	127	certificate program; or
128	128	(2) a baccalaureate degree program, if the student
129	129	receiving the grant is enrolled in a baccalaureate degree program.
130	130	SECTION 5. The changes in law made by this Act apply to
131	131	participation in the Texas Educational Opportunity Grant Program
132	132	beginning with the 2018-2019 academic year. Participation in the
133	133	Texas Educational Opportunity Grant Program for an academic year
134	134	before the 2018-2019 academic year is governed by the applicable
135	135	law in effect immediately before the effective date of this Act, and
136	136	the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
137	137	SECTION 6. This Act takes effect January 1, 2018.
138	138	* * * * *