| 3 | 2 | | |
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| 4 | 3 | | |
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| 5 | 4 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 5 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 6 | | relating to the exemption of tuition and laboratory fees at public |
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| 8 | 7 | | institutions of higher education for certain paramedics. |
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| 9 | 8 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 9 | | SECTION 1. The heading to Section 54.353, Education Code, |
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| 11 | 10 | | is amended to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 11 | | Sec. 54.353. FIREFIGHTERS OR PARAMEDICS ENROLLED IN FIRE |
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| 13 | 12 | | SCIENCE COURSES. |
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| 14 | 13 | | SECTION 2. Section 54.353, Education Code, is amended by |
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| 15 | 14 | | amending Subsections (a) and (f) and adding Subsection (e-1) to |
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| 16 | 15 | | read as follows: |
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| 17 | 16 | | (a) The governing board of an institution of higher |
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| 18 | 17 | | education shall exempt from the payment of tuition and laboratory |
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| 19 | 18 | | fees any student enrolled in one or more courses offered as part of |
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| 20 | 19 | | a fire science curriculum who: |
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| 21 | 20 | | (1) is employed as a firefighter or a paramedic by a |
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| 22 | 21 | | political subdivision of this state; or |
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| 23 | 22 | | (2) is currently, and has been for at least one year, |
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| 24 | 23 | | an active member of an organized volunteer fire department |
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| 25 | 24 | | participating in the Texas Emergency Services Retirement System or |
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| 26 | 25 | | a retirement system established under the Texas Local Fire Fighters |
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| 27 | 26 | | Retirement Act (Article 6243e, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes) and |
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| 28 | 27 | | who holds: |
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| 29 | 28 | | (A) an Accredited Advanced level of |
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| 30 | 29 | | certification, or an equivalent successor certification, under the |
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| 31 | 30 | | State Firemen's and Fire Marshals' Association of Texas volunteer |
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| 32 | 31 | | certification program; or |
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| 33 | 32 | | (B) Phase V (Firefighter II) certification, or an |
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| 34 | 33 | | equivalent successor certification, under the Texas Commission on |
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| 35 | 34 | | Fire Protection's voluntary certification program under Section |
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| 36 | 35 | | 419.071, Government Code. |
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| 37 | 36 | | (e-1) Notwithstanding Subsection (a), the governing board |
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| 38 | 37 | | of an institution of higher education may, in accordance with Texas |
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| 39 | 38 | | Higher Education Coordinating Board rule, exclude from the |
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| 40 | 39 | | exemption under this section a course that is offered through |
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| 41 | 40 | | distance education. |
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| 42 | 41 | | (f) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall |
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| 43 | 42 | | adopt: |
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| 44 | 43 | | (1) rules governing the granting or denial of an |
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| 45 | 44 | | exemption under this section, including rules: |
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| 46 | 45 | | (A) prescribing the educational attainment or |
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| 47 | 46 | | level of certification necessary to qualify for an exemption as a |
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| 48 | 47 | | paramedic; |
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| 49 | 48 | | (B) relating to the determination of a student's |
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| 50 | 49 | | eligibility for an exemption; and |
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| 51 | 50 | | (C) relating to the exclusion from the exemption |
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| 52 | 51 | | under Subsection (e-1) of a distance education course, including |
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| 53 | 52 | | prescribing the maximum number of distance education courses that |
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| 54 | 53 | | may be excluded from the exemption under that subsection; and |
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| 55 | 54 | | (2) a uniform listing of degree programs covered by |
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| 56 | 55 | | the exemption under this section. |
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| 57 | 56 | | SECTION 3. (a) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating |
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| 58 | 57 | | Board shall adopt the rules required by Section 54.353(f), |
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| 59 | 58 | | Education Code, as amended by this Act, as soon as practicable after |
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| 60 | 59 | | the effective date of this Act. |
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| 61 | 60 | | (b) Section 54.353, Education Code, as amended by this Act, |
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| 62 | 61 | | applies beginning with tuition and laboratory fees charged for the |
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| 63 | 62 | | 2019 fall semester. Tuition and laboratory fees charged for an |
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| 64 | 63 | | academic period before that semester are covered by the law in |
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| 65 | 64 | | effect immediately before the effective date of this Act, and the |
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| 66 | 65 | | former law is continued in effect for that purpose. |
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| 67 | 66 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 68 | 67 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 69 | 68 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 70 | 69 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 71 | 70 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |
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