| 4 | 3 | | |
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| 5 | 4 | | |
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| 6 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 7 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 8 | 7 | | relating to the exemption of tuition and laboratory fees at public |
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| 9 | 8 | | institutions of higher education for certain paramedics. |
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| 10 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter D, Chapter 54, Education Code, is |
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| 12 | 11 | | amended by adding Section 54.3532 to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 12 | | Sec. 54.3532. PARAMEDICS ENROLLED IN CERTAIN COURSES. (a) |
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| 14 | 13 | | The governing board of an institution of higher education shall |
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| 15 | 14 | | exempt from the payment of tuition and laboratory fees any student |
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| 16 | 15 | | enrolled in one or more courses offered as part of an emergency |
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| 17 | 16 | | medical services curriculum who is employed as a paramedic by a |
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| 18 | 17 | | political subdivision of this state. |
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| 19 | 18 | | (b) An exemption provided under this section does not apply |
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| 20 | 19 | | to deposits that may be required in the nature of security for the |
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| 21 | 20 | | return or proper care of property loaned for the use of students. |
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| 22 | 21 | | (c) Notwithstanding Subsection (a), a student who for a |
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| 23 | 22 | | semester or term at an institution of higher education receives an |
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| 24 | 23 | | exemption provided under this section may continue to receive the |
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| 25 | 24 | | exemption for a subsequent semester or term at any institution only |
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| 26 | 25 | | if the student makes satisfactory academic progress toward a degree |
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| 27 | 26 | | or certificate at that institution as determined by the institution |
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| 28 | 27 | | for purposes of financial aid. |
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| 29 | 28 | | (d) Notwithstanding Subsection (a), the exemption provided |
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| 30 | 29 | | under this section does not apply to any amount of additional |
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| 31 | 30 | | tuition the institution elects to charge a resident undergraduate |
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| 32 | 31 | | student under Section 54.014(a) or (f). |
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| 33 | 32 | | (e) Notwithstanding Subsection (a), the exemption provided |
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| 34 | 33 | | under this section does not apply to any amount of tuition the |
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| 35 | 34 | | institution charges a graduate student in excess of the amount of |
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| 36 | 35 | | tuition charged to similarly situated graduate students because the |
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| 37 | 36 | | student has a number of semester credit hours of doctoral work in |
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| 38 | 37 | | excess of the applicable number provided by Section 61.059(l)(1) or |
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| 39 | 38 | | (2). |
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| 40 | 39 | | (f) Notwithstanding Subsection (a), the governing board of |
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| 41 | 40 | | an institution of higher education is not required to provide an |
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| 42 | 41 | | exemption under this section for a course offered exclusively |
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| 43 | 42 | | through distance education to a number of students enrolled in the |
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| 44 | 43 | | course in excess of 20 percent of the maximum student enrollment |
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| 45 | 44 | | designated by the institution for that course. |
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| 46 | 45 | | (g) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall |
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| 47 | 46 | | adopt: |
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| 48 | 47 | | (1) rules governing the granting or denial of an |
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| 49 | 48 | | exemption provided under this section, including rules: |
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| 50 | 49 | | (A) prescribing the educational attainment or |
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| 51 | 50 | | level of certification necessary to qualify for an exemption as a |
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| 52 | 51 | | paramedic; |
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| 53 | 52 | | (B) relating to the determination of a student's |
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| 54 | 53 | | eligibility for an exemption; and |
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| 55 | 54 | | (C) relating to the exclusion from the exemption |
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| 56 | 55 | | under Subsection (f) of a distance education course, including |
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| 57 | 56 | | prescribing the maximum number of distance education courses that |
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| 58 | 57 | | may be excluded from the exemption under that subsection; and |
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| 59 | 58 | | (2) a uniform listing of degree programs covered by |
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| 60 | 59 | | the exemption provided under this section. |
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| 61 | 60 | | SECTION 2. (a) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating |
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| 62 | 61 | | Board shall adopt the rules required by Section 54.3532, Education |
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| 63 | 62 | | Code, as added by this Act, as soon as practicable after the |
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| 64 | 63 | | effective date of this Act. |
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| 65 | 64 | | (b) Section 54.3532, Education Code, as added by this Act, |
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| 66 | 65 | | applies beginning with tuition and laboratory fees charged for the |
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| 67 | 66 | | 2021 fall semester. Tuition and laboratory fees charged for an |
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| 68 | 67 | | academic period before that semester are covered by the law in |
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| 69 | 68 | | effect immediately before the effective date of this Act, and the |
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| 70 | 69 | | former law is continued in effect for that purpose. |
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| 71 | 70 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 72 | 71 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 73 | 72 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 74 | 73 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 75 | 74 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
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