Texas 2019 - 86th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB882 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	86R4220 KJE-D
2	2	By: Menéndez S.B. No. 882
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the establishment of the Texas First Generation
8	8	Matching Scholarship Program for certain first generation students
9	9	at public institutions of higher education.
10	10	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	11	SECTION 1. Chapter 56, Education Code, is amended by adding
12	12	Subchapter S to read as follows:
13	13	SUBCHAPTER S. TEXAS FIRST GENERATION MATCHING SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
14	14	Sec. 56.501. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
15	15	(1) "Coordinating board" means the Texas Higher
16	16	Education Coordinating Board.
17	17	(2) "First generation student" means a person:
18	18	(A) whose parents or legal guardians have not
19	19	obtained a baccalaureate degree; or
20	20	(B) who is or was in the conservatorship of the
21	21	Department of Family and Protective Services.
22	22	(3) "Program" means the Texas First Generation
23	23	Matching Scholarship Program.
24	24	Sec. 56.502. PROGRAM PURPOSE. The purpose of the Texas
25	25	First Generation Matching Scholarship Program is to provide
26	26	assistance in the payment of tuition and required fees to enable
27	27	eligible first generation students to attend institutions of higher
28	28	education.
29	29	Sec. 56.503. FIRST GENERATION MATCHING SCHOLARSHIP
30	30	ACCOUNT. (a) The first generation matching scholarship account is
31	31	an account in the general revenue fund.
32	32	(b) The account consists of:
33	33	(1) money appropriated or transferred to the credit of
34	34	the account by the legislature; and
35	35	(2) interest earned on the investment of money in the
36	36	account.
37	37	(c) Money in the account may be used only to provide
38	38	scholarships to eligible first generation students as provided by
39	39	this subchapter.
40	40	Sec. 56.504. ADMINISTRATION OF PROGRAM. The coordinating
41	41	board shall administer the program and adopt any rules necessary to
42	42	implement the program or this subchapter. The coordinating board
43	43	shall consult with the student financial aid officers of
44	44	institutions of higher education in developing the rules.
45	45	Sec. 56.505. AWARD OF SCHOLARSHIP. From money available
46	46	for the purpose, each institution of higher education shall award
47	47	scholarships to eligible students under the program.
48	48	Sec. 56.506. INITIAL ELIGIBILITY FOR SCHOLARSHIP. (a) To
49	49	be eligible initially for a scholarship under the program, a person
50	50	must:
51	51	(1) be a first generation student;
52	52	(2) be a resident of this state as determined by
53	53	coordinating board rules;
54	54	(3) meet financial need requirements as defined by the
55	55	coordinating board;
56	56	(4) be enrolled in an associate or baccalaureate
57	57	degree or certificate program at an institution of higher
58	58	education;
59	59	(5) be enrolled as an entering student for at least
60	60	one-half of a full course load for an entering student in the
61	61	associate or baccalaureate degree or certificate program, as
62	62	determined by the coordinating board;
63	63	(6) have applied for any available financial aid or
64	64	assistance; and
65	65	(7) comply with any additional nonacademic
66	66	requirement adopted by the coordinating board under this
67	67	subchapter.
68	68	(b) A person is not eligible to receive a scholarship under
69	69	the program if the person has been convicted of a felony or an
70	70	offense under Chapter 481, Health and Safety Code, or under the law
71	71	of another jurisdiction involving a controlled substance as defined
72	72	by Chapter 481, Health and Safety Code, unless the person has met
73	73	the other applicable eligibility requirements under the program and
74	74	has:
75	75	(1) received a certificate of discharge by the Texas
76	76	Department of Criminal Justice or a correctional facility or
77	77	completed a period of probation ordered by a court, and at least two
78	78	years have elapsed from the date of the receipt or completion; or
79	79	(2) been pardoned, had the record of the offense
80	80	expunged from the person's record, or otherwise been released from
81	81	the resulting ineligibility to receive a scholarship under the
82	82	program.
83	83	(c) A person is not eligible to receive a scholarship under
84	84	the program if the person has:
85	85	(1) been granted:
86	86	(A) a certificate for completion of a certificate
87	87	program; or
88	88	(B) an associate or baccalaureate degree; or
89	89	(2) completed more than the following number of
90	90	semester credit hours or the equivalent at an institution of higher
91	91	education:
92	92	(A) 90 semester credit hours or the equivalent,
93	93	if the person is enrolled in a degree or certificate program of two
94	94	years or less; or
95	95	(B) 135 semester credit hours or the equivalent,
96	96	if the person is enrolled in a degree or certificate program of more
97	97	than two years.
98	98	(d) A person may not receive a scholarship under the program
99	99	for more than:
100	100	(1) 75 semester credit hours or the equivalent, if the
101	101	person is enrolled in a degree or certificate program of two years
102	102	or less; or
103	103	(2) 150 semester credit hours or the equivalent, if
104	104	the person is enrolled in a degree or certificate program of more
105	105	than two years.
106	106	(e) A person's eligibility for a scholarship under the
107	107	program ends on:
108	108	(1) the third anniversary of the initial award of a
109	109	scholarship under the program to the person, if the person is
110	110	enrolled in a degree or certificate program of two years or less;
111	111	(2) the fifth anniversary of the initial award of a
112	112	scholarship under the program to the person, if the person is
113	113	enrolled in a degree or certificate program of more than two years
114	114	but not more than four years; or
115	115	(3) the sixth anniversary of the initial award of a
116	116	scholarship under the program to the person, if the person is
117	117	enrolled in a degree or certificate program of more than four years.
118	118	Sec. 56.507. CONTINUING ELIGIBILITY AND ACADEMIC
119	119	PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS. (a) After initially qualifying for a
120	120	scholarship under the program, a person may continue to receive a
121	121	scholarship under the program during each semester or term in which
122	122	the person is enrolled at a participating institution only if the
123	123	person:
124	124	(1) meets financial need requirements as defined by
125	125	the coordinating board;
126	126	(2) is enrolled in an associate or baccalaureate
127	127	degree or certificate program at a participating institution;
128	128	(3) is enrolled for at least one-half of a full course
129	129	load for a student in an associate or baccalaureate degree or
130	130	certificate program, as determined by the coordinating board;
131	131	(4) makes satisfactory academic progress toward an
132	132	associate or baccalaureate degree or certificate; and
133	133	(5) complies with any additional nonacademic
134	134	requirement adopted by the coordinating board.
135	135	(b) A person is not eligible to continue to receive a
136	136	scholarship under this section if the person has been convicted of a
137	137	felony or an offense under Chapter 481, Health and Safety Code, or
138	138	under the law of another jurisdiction involving a controlled
139	139	substance as defined by Chapter 481, Health and Safety Code, unless
140	140	the person has met the other applicable eligibility requirements
141	141	under the program and has:
142	142	(1) received a certificate of discharge by the Texas
143	143	Department of Criminal Justice or a correctional facility or
144	144	completed a period of probation ordered by a court, and at least two
145	145	years have elapsed from the date of the receipt or completion; or
146	146	(2) been pardoned, had the record of the offense
147	147	expunged from the person's record, or otherwise been released from
148	148	the resulting ineligibility to receive a scholarship under the
149	149	program.
150	150	(c) If a person fails to meet any of the requirements of
151	151	Subsection (a) after the completion of any semester or term, the
152	152	person may not receive a scholarship under the program during the
153	153	next semester or term in which the person enrolls. A person may
154	154	become eligible to receive a scholarship under the program in a
155	155	subsequent semester or term if the person:
156	156	(1) completes a semester or term during which the
157	157	student is not eligible for a scholarship; and
158	158	(2) meets all the requirements of Subsection (a).
159	159	(d) For the purpose of this section, a person makes
160	160	satisfactory academic progress toward an associate or
161	161	baccalaureate degree or certificate only if:
162	162	(1) in the person's first academic year, the person
163	163	meets the satisfactory academic progress requirements of the
164	164	institution at which the person is enrolled; and
165	165	(2) in the subsequent academic year, the person:
166	166	(A) completes at least 75 percent of the semester
167	167	credit hours attempted in the student's most recent academic year;
168	168	and
169	169	(B) has earned an overall grade point average of
170	170	at least 2.5 on a four-point scale or the equivalent on course work
171	171	previously attempted at institutions of higher education.
172	172	(e) A person who is eligible to receive a scholarship under
173	173	the program continues to remain eligible to receive the scholarship
174	174	if the person enrolls in or transfers to another institution of
175	175	higher education.
176	176	(f) The coordinating board shall adopt rules to allow a
177	177	person who is otherwise eligible to receive a scholarship under the
178	178	program, in the event of a hardship or for other good cause shown,
179	179	including a showing of a severe illness or other debilitating
180	180	condition that may affect the person's academic performance or that
181	181	the person is responsible for the care of a sick, injured, or needy
182	182	person and that the person's provision of care may affect the
183	183	person's academic performance, to receive a scholarship under the
184	184	program:
185	185	(1) while enrolled in a number of semester credit
186	186	hours that is less than the number of semester credit hours required
187	187	under Subsection (a)(3); or
188	188	(2) if the student's grade point average or completion
189	189	rate falls below the satisfactory academic progress requirements of
190	190	Subsection (d).
191	191	Sec. 56.508. SCHOLARSHIP USE. A scholarship awarded under
192	192	the program may be applied only to the payment of tuition and
193	193	required fees at an institution of higher education.
194	194	Sec. 56.509. SCHOLARSHIP AMOUNT; ALLOCATION. (a) The
195	195	amount of a scholarship awarded by an institution of higher
196	196	education to an eligible student under the program for a semester or
197	197	other academic term in which the student is enrolled at the
198	198	institution may not exceed the difference between the amount of
199	199	tuition and required fees charged to the student by the institution
200	200	for that semester or term and the amount of any other gift aid,
201	201	including state or federal grants or scholarships, awarded to the
202	202	student for that semester or term.
203	203	(b) A scholarship may not be awarded under the program to an
204	204	eligible student for a semester or other academic term until any
205	205	other gift aid for which the student is eligible has been awarded to
206	206	the student and the student's unmet financial need has been
207	207	established for purposes of determining the appropriate amount of
208	208	the student's scholarship under Subsection (a).
209	209	(c) An institution of higher education that awards a
210	210	scholarship under the program is responsible for two-thirds of the
211	211	total amount of the scholarship determined under Subsection (a).
212	212	The state is responsible for the remainder, to be paid from the
213	213	first generation matching scholarship account established under
214	214	Section 56.503 or from other funds appropriated for that purpose.
215	215	Sec. 56.510. NOTIFICATION OF PROGRAM; RESPONSIBILITIES OF
216	216	SCHOOL DISTRICTS. (a) The coordinating board, in consultation
217	217	with all institutions of higher education, shall prepare materials
218	218	designed to inform prospective students, their parents or
219	219	guardians, and high school counselors about the program and
220	220	eligibility for a scholarship under the program. The coordinating
221	221	board shall distribute to each institution of higher education and
222	222	to each school district a copy of the materials prepared under this
223	223	section.
224	224	(b) Each school district shall notify its high school
225	225	students, those students' teachers and school counselors, and those
226	226	students' parents or guardians of the program and the eligibility
227	227	requirements of the program.
228	228	Sec. 56.511. GIFTS, GRANTS, AND DONATIONS. In addition to
229	229	other money appropriated by the legislature, each institution of
230	230	higher education may solicit, accept, and spend gifts, grants, and
231	231	donations from any public or private source for the purposes of the
232	232	program.
233	233	SECTION 2. (a) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating
234	234	Board shall adopt rules to administer Subchapter S, Chapter 56,
235	235	Education Code, as added by this Act, as soon as practicable after
236	236	the effective date of this Act.
237	237	(b) Each public institution of higher education shall begin
238	238	awarding scholarships under Subchapter S, Chapter 56, Education
239	239	Code, as added by this Act, for the first academic year for which
240	240	money is available for that purpose, except that an institution may
241	241	not award scholarships under that subchapter for an academic year
242	242	before the 2020-2021 academic year.
243	243	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
244	244	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
245	245	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
246	246	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
247	247	Act takes effect September 1, 2019.