Texas 2019 - 86th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB16 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1		-	S.B. No. 16
	1	+	By: Hancock, et al. S.B. No. 16
	2	+	(Stucky)
	3	+	Substitute the following for S.B. No. 16: No.
2	4
3	5
	6	+	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
4	7		AN ACT
5	8		relating to a student loan repayment assistance program for certain
6	9		full-time peace officers in this state.
7	10		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
8	11		SECTION 1. Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding
9	12		Subchapter NN to read as follows:
10	13		SUBCHAPTER NN. PEACE OFFICER LOAN REPAYMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
11	14		Sec. 61.9951. DEFINITION. In this subchapter, "peace
12	15		officer" has the meaning assigned by Article 2.12, Code of Criminal
13	16		Procedure.
14	17		Sec. 61.9952. LOAN REPAYMENT ASSISTANCE AUTHORIZED;
15	18		PURPOSE. The board shall establish and administer a program to
16	19		provide, in accordance with this subchapter and board rules, loan
17	20		repayment assistance in the repayment of eligible loans for
18	21		eligible persons who agree to continued employment as full-time
19	22		peace officers in this state for a specified period.
20	23		Sec. 61.9953. INITIAL ELIGIBILITY. To be eligible to
21	24		receive loan repayment assistance under this subchapter for the
22	25		first year for which the person seeks loan repayment assistance, a
23	26		person must:
24	27		(1) be initially employed as a peace officer on or
25	28		after September 1, 2019;
26	29		(2) 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	42		(3) have earned at least 60 semester credit hours or
40	43		the equivalent at an institution of higher education or a private or
41	44		independent institution of higher education before the person's
42	45		initial employment as a peace officer;
43	46		(4) be currently employed, and have completed at least
44	47		one year of employment, as a full-time peace officer in this state;
45	48		and
46	49		(5) comply with any other requirement adopted by the
47	50		board under this subchapter.
48	51		Sec. 61.9954. CONTINUING ELIGIBILITY. (a) Except as
49	52		provided by Subsection (b), after initially qualifying for loan
50	53		repayment assistance under Section 61.9953, a person may continue
51	54		to receive loan repayment assistance in a subsequent year only if
52	55		the person annually submits an application, in the manner and on a
53	56		form prescribed by board rule, that requires employer verification
54	57		of the person's continuous employment as a full-time peace officer
55	58		in this state for the year ending immediately before the date the
56	59		application is submitted under this section.
57	60		(b) A person may not receive loan repayment assistance under
58	61		this subchapter for more than five years.
59	62		Sec. 61.9955. AWARD. (a) Except as provided by this
60	63		section, an eligible person is entitled to receive an annual amount
61	64		of loan repayment assistance payments under this subchapter payable
62	65		to the holders of the eligible person's eligible loans for each year
63	66		of eligibility approved by the board under Section 61.9953 or
64	67		61.9954 in an amount equal to the lesser of $4,000 or 20 percent of
65	68		the total amount stated in the person's application under Section
66	69		61.9953, subject to the amount of available funding.
67	70		(b) If at the time an eligible person submits an initial
68	71		application under Section 61.9953 the payoff period for the
69	72		person's total outstanding balance of eligible loans is less than
70	73		five years, the board shall make annual payments under this
71	74		subchapter to the holders of the person's eligible loans in the
72	75		amounts of the payments and accrued interest due for the applicable
73	76		year.
74	77		(c) The total amount of repayment assistance provided under
75	78		this subchapter to an eligible person may not exceed $20,000.
76	79		(d) If in any year the amount of money available for loan
77	80		repayment assistance under this subchapter is insufficient to
78	81		provide loan repayment assistance to cover all the payments for the
79	82		year for all eligible loans of all eligible persons, the board shall
80	83		establish criteria to determine the amount of available money to
81	84		allocate to the holders of student loans of eligible persons as the
82	85		board determines appropriate to further the purpose of this
83	86		subchapter.
84	87		(e) An eligible person whose annual loan repayment
85	88		assistance under this section is less than the amount necessary to
86	89		cover the amount of principal and interest due on the person's
87	90		eligible loans for that year is responsible for the payment of the
88	91		remainder of the amount due and for otherwise preventing a default
89	92		on the loan.
90	93		Sec. 61.9956. ELIGIBLE LOANS. (a) The board may provide
91	94		loan repayment assistance under this subchapter for the repayment
92	95		of any student loan received by an eligible person through any
93	96		lender for the cost of attendance at an institution of higher
94	97		education or a private or independent institution of higher
95	98		education for a semester or other term that ended in the five years
96	99		immediately preceding the person's initial employment as a peace
97	100		officer.
98	101		(b) If the loan is not a state or federal guaranteed student
99	102		loan, the promissory note or other loan agreement document
100	103		governing the terms of the loan must require all the loan proceeds
101	104		to be used for expenses incurred by a person in attending an
102	105		institution of higher education or a private or independent
103	106		institution of higher education.
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		-	Sec. 61.9957. PAYMENT OF LOAN REPAYMENT ASSISTANCE.
109		-	~~(a)~~ The board shall pay any loan repayment assistance under this
	111	+	Sec. 61.9957. PAYMENT OF LOAN REPAYMENT ASSISTANCE. (a)
	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		-	Sec. 61.9959. RULES; POSTING REQUIRED. (a) The board
121		-	shall adopt rules necessary for the administration of this
122		-	subchapter.
	123	+	Sec. 61.9959. RULES; POSTING REQUIRED. (a) The board shall
	124	+	adopt rules necessary for the administration of this subchapter.
123	125		(b) The board shall post on the board's Internet website a
124	126		copy of the rules adopted under this subchapter and information
125	127		regarding the program established under this subchapter.
126	128		SECTION 2. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
127	129		shall adopt rules for the peace officer loan repayment assistance
128	130		program under Subchapter NN, Chapter 61, Education Code, as added
129	131		by this Act, not later than December 1, 2019.
130	132		SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019.
131		-	______________________________ ______________________________
132		-	President of the Senate Speaker of the House
133		-	I hereby certify that S.B. No. 16 passed the Senate on
134		-	April 16, 2019, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0; and that
135		-	the Senate concurred in House amendment on May 24, 2019, by the
136		-	following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.
137		-	______________________________
138		-	Secretary of the Senate
139		-	I hereby certify that S.B. No. 16 passed the House, with
140		-	amendment, on May 17, 2019, by the following vote: Yeas 132,
141		-	Nays 9, two present not voting.
142		-	______________________________
143		-	Chief Clerk of the House
144		-	Approved:
145		-	______________________________
146		-	Date
147		-	______________________________
148		-	Governor