Texas 2019 - 86th Regular

Texas House Bill HB14 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
	1	+	86R23885 SOS-F
1	2		By: Stucky, Thompson of Harris, H.B. No. 14
2	3		King of Parker, Meyer, Minjarez, et al.
	4	+	Substitute the following for H.B. No. 14:
	5	+	By: Stucky C.S.H.B. No. 14
3	6
4	7
5	8		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	9		AN ACT
7	10		relating to a student loan repayment assistance program for certain
8	11		full-time peace officers in this state.
9	12		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	13		SECTION 1. Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding
11	14		Subchapter NN to read as follows:
12	15		SUBCHAPTER NN. PEACE OFFICER LOAN REPAYMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
13	16		Sec. 61.9951. DEFINITION. In this subchapter, "peace
14	17		officer" has the meaning assigned by Article 2.12, Code of Criminal
15	18		Procedure.
16	19		Sec. 61.9952. LOAN REPAYMENT ASSISTANCE AUTHORIZED;
17	20		PURPOSE. The board shall establish and administer a program to
18	21		provide, in accordance with this subchapter and board rules, loan
19	22		repayment assistance in the repayment of eligible loans for
20	23		eligible persons who agree to continued employment as full-time
21	24		peace officers in this state for a specified period.
22	25		Sec. 61.9953. INITIAL ELIGIBILITY. To be eligible to
23	26		receive loan repayment assistance under this subchapter for the
24	27		first year for which the person seeks loan repayment assistance, a
25	28		person must:
26	29		(1) submit to the board an initial application for the
27	30		loan repayment assistance, in the manner and on a form prescribed by
28	31		board rule, that requires:
29	32		(A) employer verification of the person's
30	33		employment as a full-time peace officer in this state for at least
31	34		one year and the person's current employment as a peace officer in
32	35		this state as of the date of the application;
33	36		(B) a transcript of the person's postsecondary
34	37		course work; and
35	38		(C) a statement of the total amount of principal,
36	39		accrued interest, fees, and other charges due on all outstanding
37	40		eligible loans for which the person is applying for repayment
38	41		assistance;
39		-	(2) have earned at least 60 semester credit hours or
	42	+	(2) be a resident of this state as determined by board
	43	+	rule;
	44	+	(3) have earned at least 60 semester credit hours or
40	45		the equivalent at an institution of higher education or a private or
41	46		independent institution of higher education before the person's
42	47		initial employment as a peace officer;
43		-	(3) be currently employed, and have completed at least
	48	+	(4) be currently employed, and have completed at least
44	49		one year of employment, as a full-time peace officer in this state;
	50	+	(5) not be in default on any other educational loan;
45	51		and
46		-	(4) comply with any other requirement adopted by the
	52	+	(6) comply with any other requirement adopted by the
47	53		board under this subchapter.
48	54		Sec. 61.9954. CONTINUING ELIGIBILITY. (a) Except as
49	55		provided by Subsection (b), after initially qualifying for loan
50	56		repayment assistance under Section 61.9953, a person may continue
51	57		to receive loan repayment assistance in a subsequent year only if
52	58		the person annually submits an application, in the manner and on a
53	59		form prescribed by board rule, that requires employer verification
54	60		of the person's continuous employment as a full-time peace officer
55	61		in this state for the year ending immediately before the date the
56	62		application is submitted under this section.
57	63		(b) A person may not receive loan repayment assistance under
58	64		this subchapter for more than five years.
59	65		Sec. 61.9955. AWARD. (a) Except as provided by this
60	66		section, an eligible person is entitled to receive an annual amount
61	67		of loan repayment assistance payments under this subchapter payable
62	68		to the holders of the eligible person's eligible loans for each year
63	69		of eligibility approved by the board under Section 61.9953 or
64	70		61.9954 in an amount equal to the lesser of $4,000 or 20 percent of
65	71		the total amount stated in the person's application under Section
66	72		61.9953, subject to the amount of available funding.
67	73		(b) If at the time an eligible person submits an initial
68	74		application under Section 61.9953 the payoff period for the
69	75		person's total outstanding balance of eligible loans is less than
70		-	five years, the board shall make annual payments under this
71		-	subchapter to the holders of the person's eligible loans in the
72		-	amounts of the payments and accrued interest due for the applicable
73		-	year.
	76	+	five years, the board shall make payments under this subchapter to
	77	+	the eligible holders of the person's eligible loans in the amounts
	78	+	of the payments and accrued interest as those payments become due.
74	79		(c) The total amount of repayment assistance provided under
75	80		this subchapter to an eligible person may not exceed $20,000.
76	81		(d) If in any year the amount of money available for loan
77	82		repayment assistance under this subchapter is insufficient to
78	83		provide loan repayment assistance to cover all the payments for the
79	84		year for all eligible loans of all eligible persons, the board shall
80	85		establish criteria to determine the amount of available money to
81	86		allocate to the holders of student loans of eligible persons as the
82	87		board determines appropriate to further the purpose of this
83	88		subchapter.
84	89		(e) An eligible person whose annual loan repayment
85	90		assistance under this section is less than the amount necessary to
86	91		cover the amount of principal and interest due on the person's
87	92		eligible loans for that year is responsible for the payment of the
88	93		remainder of the amount due and for otherwise preventing a default
89	94		on the loan.
90	95		Sec. 61.9956. ELIGIBLE LOANS. (a) The board may provide
91	96		loan repayment assistance under this subchapter for the repayment
92	97		of any student loan received by an eligible person through any
93		-	lender for the cost of attendance at an institution of higher
94		-	education or a private or independent institution of higher
95		-	education for a semester or other term that ended in the five years
96		-	immediately preceding the person's initial employment as a peace
97		-	officer.
	98	+	lender for the cost of attendance at a public or private nonprofit
	99	+	postsecondary educational institution for a semester or other term
	100	+	that ended in the five years immediately preceding the person's
	101	+	initial employment as a peace officer.
98	102		(b) If the loan is not a state or federal guaranteed student
99	103		loan, the promissory note or other loan agreement document
100	104		governing the terms of the loan must require all the loan proceeds
101		-	to be used for expenses incurred by a person in attending an
102		-	institution of higher education or a private or independent
103		-	institution of higher education.
	105	+	to be used for expenses incurred by a person in attending a public
	106	+	or private nonprofit postsecondary educational institution.
104	107		(c) The board may not provide loan repayment assistance
105	108		under this subchapter for an eligible loan that is in default on the
106	109		date the person's application for loan repayment assistance is
107	110		submitted under Section 61.9953 or 61.9954.
108	111		Sec. 61.9957. PAYMENT OF LOAN REPAYMENT ASSISTANCE. (a)
109	112		The board shall pay any loan repayment assistance under this
110	113		subchapter in a lump sum delivered on the eligible person's behalf
111	114		directly to the holder of the loan.
112	115		(b) Loan repayment assistance provided under this
113	116		subchapter may be applied to any amount due on the loan.
114	117		(c) Each state fiscal biennium, the board shall attempt to
115	118		allocate all money available to the board for the purpose of
116	119		providing loan repayment assistance under this subchapter.
117	120		Sec. 61.9958. GIFTS, GRANTS, AND DONATIONS. The board may
118	121		solicit and accept gifts, grants, and other donations from any
119	122		public or private source for the purposes of this subchapter.
120	123		Sec. 61.9959. RULES; POSTING REQUIRED. (a) The board shall
121	124		adopt rules necessary for the administration of this subchapter.
122	125		(b) The board shall post on the board's Internet website a
123	126		copy of the rules adopted under this subchapter and information
124	127		regarding the program established under this subchapter.
125	128		SECTION 2. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
126	129		shall adopt rules for the peace officer loan repayment assistance
127	130		program under Subchapter NN, Chapter 61, Education Code, as added
128	131		by this Act, not later than December 1, 2019.
129	132		SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019.