| 1 | 1 | | 85R11274 KJE-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Seliger S.B. No. 950 |
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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 tuition and fee exemptions or waivers at public |
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| 8 | 8 | | institutions of higher education. |
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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 D, Chapter 54, Education Code, is |
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| 11 | 11 | | amended by adding Section 54.201 to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | Sec. 54.201. CERTAIN FINANCIAL AID ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION |
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| 13 | 13 | | REQUIRED. (a) Notwithstanding any other law and subject to |
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| 14 | 14 | | Subsection (b), to qualify for an exemption, waiver, or other |
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| 15 | 15 | | benefit authorized under this subchapter for enrollment at an |
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| 16 | 16 | | institution of higher education during an academic year, a person |
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| 17 | 17 | | must: |
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| 18 | 18 | | (1) complete a free application for federal student |
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| 19 | 19 | | aid (FAFSA) for that academic year and: |
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| 20 | 20 | | (A) submit the person's FAFSA student aid report |
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| 21 | 21 | | to the institution; or |
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| 22 | 22 | | (B) designate the institution as a preferred |
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| 23 | 23 | | institution to receive the report from the United States Department |
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| 24 | 24 | | of Education; or |
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| 25 | 25 | | (2) if the person is not eligible to receive federal |
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| 26 | 26 | | student aid, complete and submit to the institution the Texas |
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| 27 | 27 | | Application for State Financial Aid (TASFA) or a similar |
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| 28 | 28 | | application for state student financial assistance. |
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| 29 | 29 | | (b) Subsection (a) does not apply to a person who receives a |
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| 30 | 30 | | waiver under Section 54.216. |
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| 31 | 31 | | SECTION 2. Section 54.341(h), Education Code, is amended to |
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| 32 | 32 | | read as follows: |
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| 33 | 33 | | (h) The governing board of each institution of higher |
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| 34 | 34 | | education shall electronically report to the Texas Higher Education |
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| 35 | 35 | | Coordinating Board [Veterans Commission] the information required |
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| 36 | 36 | | by Section 61.0516 [434.00791, Government Code,] relating to each |
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| 37 | 37 | | individual receiving an exemption from fees and charges under |
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| 38 | 38 | | Subsection (a), (a-2), (b), or (k). The institution shall report |
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| 39 | 39 | | the information not later than January 31 of each year for the fall |
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| 40 | 40 | | semester, June 30 of each year for the spring semester, and |
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| 41 | 41 | | September 30 of each year for the summer session. |
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| 42 | 42 | | SECTION 3. Section 434.00791, Government Code, is |
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| 43 | 43 | | transferred to Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, |
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| 44 | 44 | | redesignated as Section 61.0516, Education Code, and amended to |
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| 45 | 45 | | read as follows: |
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| 46 | 46 | | Sec. 61.0516 [434.00791]. ELECTRONIC SYSTEM TO MONITOR |
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| 47 | 47 | | TUITION EXEMPTIONS FOR VETERANS AND DEPENDENTS [FAMILY MEMBERS]. |
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| 48 | 48 | | (a) [In this section, "institution of higher education" has the |
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| 49 | 49 | | meaning assigned by Section 61.003, Education Code. |
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| 50 | 50 | | [(b)] The board [commission] shall administer [ensure] a |
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| 51 | 51 | | system to electronically monitor the use of tuition and fee |
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| 52 | 52 | | exemptions at institutions of higher education under Section |
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| 53 | 53 | | 54.341[, Education Code, is developed]. The system must allow the |
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| 54 | 54 | | board [commission] to electronically receive, for each semester, |
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| 55 | 55 | | the following information from institutions of higher education: |
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| 56 | 56 | | (1) the name of the institution; |
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| 57 | 57 | | (2) the name, identification number, and date of birth |
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| 58 | 58 | | of each individual attending the institution and receiving benefits |
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| 59 | 59 | | for the semester under Section 54.341[, Education Code]; |
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| 60 | 60 | | (3) for each individual receiving benefits, the number |
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| 61 | 61 | | of credit hours for which the individual received an exemption for |
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| 62 | 62 | | the semester; |
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| 63 | 63 | | (4) for each individual receiving benefits at the |
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| 64 | 64 | | institution during the semester, the total cumulative number of |
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| 65 | 65 | | credit hours for which the individual has received an exemption at |
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| 66 | 66 | | the institution; and |
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| 67 | 67 | | (5) any other information required by the board |
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| 68 | 68 | | [commission]. |
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| 69 | 69 | | (b) Not later than January 1, 2018, the Texas Veterans |
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| 70 | 70 | | Commission, under an agreement with the board, shall provide access |
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| 71 | 71 | | to the system developed by the commission that meets the |
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| 72 | 72 | | requirements of this section. This subsection expires September 1, |
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| 73 | 73 | | 2019. |
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| 74 | 74 | | SECTION 4. Section 54.201, Education Code, as added by this |
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| 75 | 75 | | Act, applies to a person's eligibility for an exemption or waiver |
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| 76 | 76 | | from the payment of all or part of tuition or other fees beginning |
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| 77 | 77 | | with tuition and fees charged for the 2018 fall semester. |
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| 78 | 78 | | SECTION 5. Section 54.341(h), Education Code, as amended by |
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| 79 | 79 | | this Act, applies beginning with the report for the 2018 spring |
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| 80 | 80 | | semester. |
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| 81 | 81 | | SECTION 6. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |
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