| 1 | 1 | | 87R8537 CXP-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Beckley H.B. No. 1898 |
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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 the exemption of tuition and laboratory fees at public |
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| 8 | 8 | | institutions of higher education for certain emergency operators or |
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| 9 | 9 | | dispatchers. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter D, Chapter 54, Education Code, is |
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| 12 | 12 | | amended by adding Section 54.3533 to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | Sec. 54.3533. EMERGENCY OPERATORS OR DISPATCHERS ENROLLED |
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| 14 | 14 | | IN CERTAIN COURSES. (a) The governing board of an institution of |
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| 15 | 15 | | higher education shall exempt from the payment of tuition and |
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| 16 | 16 | | laboratory fees charged by the institution for courses relating to |
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| 17 | 17 | | emergency telecommunications, criminal justice, or emergency |
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| 18 | 18 | | medical services an undergraduate student who: |
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| 19 | 19 | | (1) is employed as an emergency response operator or |
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| 20 | 20 | | emergency services dispatcher by this state or by a political |
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| 21 | 21 | | subdivision of this state; |
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| 22 | 22 | | (2) is enrolled in a certificate or degree program |
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| 23 | 23 | | relating to emergency telecommunications, criminal justice, or |
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| 24 | 24 | | emergency medical services at the institution; |
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| 25 | 25 | | (3) is making satisfactory academic progress toward |
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| 26 | 26 | | the student's certificate or degree as determined by the |
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| 27 | 27 | | institution; and |
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| 28 | 28 | | (4) applies for the exemption at least one week before |
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| 29 | 29 | | the last date of the institution's regular registration period for |
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| 30 | 30 | | the applicable semester or other term. |
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| 31 | 31 | | (b) Notwithstanding Subsection (a), a student may not |
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| 32 | 32 | | receive an exemption under this section for any course if the |
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| 33 | 33 | | student has previously attempted a number of semester credit hours |
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| 34 | 34 | | for courses taken at any institution of higher education while |
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| 35 | 35 | | classified as a resident student for tuition purposes in excess of |
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| 36 | 36 | | the maximum number of those hours specified by Section 61.0595(a) |
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| 37 | 37 | | as eligible for funding under the formulas established under |
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| 38 | 38 | | Section 61.059. |
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| 39 | 39 | | (c) Notwithstanding Subsection (a), the governing board of |
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| 40 | 40 | | an institution of higher education may not provide exemptions under |
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| 41 | 41 | | this section to students enrolled in a specific class in a number |
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| 42 | 42 | | that exceeds 20 percent of the maximum student enrollment |
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| 43 | 43 | | designated by the institution for that class. |
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| 44 | 44 | | (d) An exemption provided under this section does not apply |
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| 45 | 45 | | to deposits that may be required in the nature of security for the |
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| 46 | 46 | | return or proper care of property loaned for the use of students. |
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| 47 | 47 | | (e) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall |
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| 48 | 48 | | adopt: |
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| 49 | 49 | | (1) rules governing the granting or denial of an |
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| 50 | 50 | | exemption under this section, including rules relating to the |
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| 51 | 51 | | determination of a student's eligibility for an exemption; and |
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| 52 | 52 | | (2) a uniform listing of certificate and degree |
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| 53 | 53 | | programs covered by the exemption under this section. |
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| 54 | 54 | | (f) If the legislature does not specifically appropriate |
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| 55 | 55 | | funds to an institution of higher education in an amount sufficient |
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| 56 | 56 | | to pay the institution's costs in complying with this section for a |
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| 57 | 57 | | semester or other term, the governing board of the institution |
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| 58 | 58 | | shall report to the Senate Finance Committee and the House |
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| 59 | 59 | | Appropriations Committee the cost to the institution of complying |
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| 60 | 60 | | with this section for that semester or other term. |
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| 61 | 61 | | SECTION 2. (a) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating |
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| 62 | 62 | | Board shall adopt the rules required by Section 54.3533, Education |
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| 63 | 63 | | Code, as added by this Act, as soon as practicable after the |
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| 64 | 64 | | effective date of this Act. |
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| 65 | 65 | | (b) Section 54.3533, Education Code, as added by this Act, |
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| 66 | 66 | | applies beginning with tuition and laboratory fees charged for the |
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| 67 | 67 | | 2021 fall semester. Tuition and laboratory fees charged for an |
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| 68 | 68 | | academic period before that semester are covered by the law in |
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| 69 | 69 | | effect immediately before the effective date of this Act, and the |
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| 70 | 70 | | former law is continued in effect for that purpose. |
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| 71 | 71 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 72 | 72 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 73 | 73 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 74 | 74 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 75 | 75 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
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