| 1 | 1 | | 87R1947 KJE-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Blanco S.B. No. 169 |
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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 eligibility for the Texas Armed Services Scholarship |
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| 8 | 8 | | Program. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Section 61.9773(a), Education Code, is amended |
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| 11 | 11 | | to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | (a) To receive a scholarship under this subchapter, a |
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| 13 | 13 | | student must enter into an agreement with the board as provided by |
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| 14 | 14 | | this section. The agreement must require the student to: |
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| 15 | 15 | | (1) complete four years of ROTC training or complete |
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| 16 | 16 | | another undergraduate officer commissioning program such as the |
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| 17 | 17 | | United States Marine Corps Platoon Leaders Class; |
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| 18 | 18 | | (2) graduate not later than six years after the date |
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| 19 | 19 | | the student first enrolls in a public or private institution of |
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| 20 | 20 | | higher education in this state; |
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| 21 | 21 | | (3) after graduation, enter into: |
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| 22 | 22 | | (A) a four-year commitment to be a member of the |
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| 23 | 23 | | Texas Army National Guard, Texas Air National Guard, Texas State |
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| 24 | 24 | | Guard, United States Coast Guard, [or] United States Merchant |
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| 25 | 25 | | Marine, or Ready Reserve Corps of the United States Public Health |
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| 26 | 26 | | Service; or |
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| 27 | 27 | | (B) a contract to serve as a commissioned officer |
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| 28 | 28 | | in any branch of the armed services of the United States or in the |
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| 29 | 29 | | Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health Service; |
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| 30 | 30 | | (4) meet the physical examination requirements and all |
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| 31 | 31 | | other prescreening requirements of the applicable entity described |
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| 32 | 32 | | by Subdivision (3) [Texas Army National Guard, Texas Air National |
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| 33 | 33 | | Guard, Texas State Guard, United States Coast Guard, or United |
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| 34 | 34 | | States Merchant Marine or the branch of the armed services with |
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| 35 | 35 | | which the student enters into a contract]; and |
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| 36 | 36 | | (5) agree to repay the scholarship if the student: |
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| 37 | 37 | | (A) fails to maintain satisfactory academic |
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| 38 | 38 | | progress; |
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| 39 | 39 | | (B) withdraws from the scholarship program; or |
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| 40 | 40 | | (C) fails to fulfill a commitment or contract |
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| 41 | 41 | | described by Subdivision (3). |
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| 42 | 42 | | SECTION 2. Section 61.9773(a), Education Code, as amended |
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| 43 | 43 | | by this Act, applies beginning with a Texas Armed Services |
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| 44 | 44 | | Scholarship awarded for the 2021-2022 academic year. |
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| 45 | 45 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 46 | 46 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 47 | 47 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 48 | 48 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 49 | 49 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
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