Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB176 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	87R1725 JRJ-D
2	2	By: Zaffirini S.B. No. 176
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the award of a grant under the Texas Educational
8	8	Opportunity Grant Program to certain students enrolled in a
9	9	baccalaureate degree program.
10	10	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	11	SECTION 1. Section 56.402(b), Education Code, is amended to
12	12	read as follows:
13	13	(b) The purpose of this subchapter is to provide a grant of
14	14	money to enable eligible students to attend eligible [two-year
15	15	public] institutions [of higher education] in this state.
16	16	SECTION 2. Sections 56.404(a), (c), and (f), Education
17	17	Code, are amended to read as follows:
18	18	(a) To be eligible initially for a grant under the grant
19	19	program, a person must:
20	20	(1) be a resident of this state as determined by
21	21	coordinating board rules;
22	22	(2) meet financial need requirements as defined by the
23	23	coordinating board;
24	24	(3) be enrolled in an associate or baccalaureate
25	25	degree program or a certificate program at an eligible institution;
26	26	(4) be enrolled as an entering student for at least
27	27	one-half of a full course load for an entering student in the
28	28	associate or baccalaureate degree program or certificate program,
29	29	as determined by the coordinating board;
30	30	(5) have applied for any available financial aid or
31	31	assistance; and
32	32	(6) comply with any additional nonacademic
33	33	requirement adopted by the coordinating board under this
34	34	subchapter.
35	35	(c) A person is not eligible to receive a grant under this
36	36	subchapter if the person has been granted:
37	37	(1) an associate degree, if the person is enrolled in
38	38	an associate degree or certificate program; or
39	39	(2) a baccalaureate degree.
40	40	(f) A person's eligibility for a grant under this subchapter
41	41	ends on:
42	42	(1) the fourth anniversary of the initial award of a
43	43	grant under this subchapter to the person and the person's
44	44	enrollment in an eligible institution, if the person is enrolled in
45	45	a degree or certificate program of two years or less; or
46	46	(2) the fifth anniversary of the initial award of a
47	47	grant under this subchapter to the person and the person's
48	48	enrollment in an eligible institution, if the person is enrolled in
49	49	a degree program of more than two years.
50	50	SECTION 3. Sections 56.405(a) and (d), Education Code, are
51	51	amended to read as follows:
52	52	(a) After initially qualifying for a grant under this
53	53	subchapter, a person may continue to receive a grant under this
54	54	subchapter during each semester or term in which the person is
55	55	enrolled at an eligible institution only if the person:
56	56	(1) meets financial need requirements as defined by
57	57	the coordinating board;
58	58	(2) is enrolled in an associate or baccalaureate
59	59	degree program or certificate program at an eligible institution;
60	60	(3) is enrolled for at least one-half of a full course
61	61	load for a student in an associate or baccalaureate degree program
62	62	or certificate program, as determined by the coordinating board;
63	63	(4) makes satisfactory academic progress toward an
64	64	associate or baccalaureate degree or a certificate; and
65	65	(5) complies with any additional nonacademic
66	66	requirement adopted by the coordinating board.
67	67	(d) For the purpose of this section, a person makes
68	68	satisfactory academic progress toward an associate or
69	69	baccalaureate degree or a certificate only if:
70	70	(1) in the person's first academic year the person
71	71	meets the satisfactory academic progress requirements of the
72	72	institution at which the person is enrolled; and
73	73	(2) in a subsequent academic year, the person:
74	74	(A) completes at least 75 percent of the semester
75	75	credit hours attempted in the student's most recent academic year;
76	76	and
77	77	(B) has earned an overall grade point average of
78	78	at least 2.5 on a four-point scale or the equivalent on course work
79	79	previously attempted at institutions of higher education.
80	80	SECTION 4. Subchapter P, Chapter 56, Education Code, is
81	81	amended by adding Section 56.4051 to read as follows:
82	82	Sec. 56.4051. MAXIMUM NUMBER OF SEMESTER CREDIT HOURS.
83	83	(a) A person who is enrolled in an associate degree program or
84	84	certificate program at an eligible institution may not receive a
85	85	grant under this subchapter for more than 75 semester credit hours
86	86	or the equivalent.
87	87	(b) A person who is enrolled in a baccalaureate degree
88	88	program at an eligible institution may not receive a grant under
89	89	this subchapter for more than the greater of:
90	90	(1) 135 semester credit hours or the equivalent; or
91	91	(2) 15 semester credit hours, or the equivalent, in
92	92	addition to the number of credit hours needed to complete the
93	93	person's baccalaureate degree program.
94	94	SECTION 5. Section 56.407(a), Education Code, is amended to
95	95	read as follows:
96	96	(a) The amount of a grant under this subchapter for a
97	97	student enrolled full-time at an eligible institution is the amount
98	98	determined by the coordinating board as the average statewide
99	99	amount of tuition and required fees that [a resident student
100	100	enrolled full-time in an associate degree or certificate program]
101	101	would be charged for that semester or term at eligible institutions
102	102	to a resident student enrolled full-time in:
103	103	(1) an associate degree program or a certificate
104	104	program, if the student receiving the grant is enrolled in an
105	105	associate degree program or a certificate program; or
106	106	(2) a baccalaureate degree program, if the student
107	107	receiving the grant is enrolled in a baccalaureate degree program.
108	108	SECTION 6. Section 56.404(d), Education Code, is repealed.
109	109	SECTION 7. (a) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating
110	110	Board shall adopt rules to administer the Texas Educational
111	111	Opportunity Grant Program consistent with the changes made by this
112	112	Act to Subchapter P, Chapter 56, Education Code, as soon as
113	113	practicable after the effective date of this Act.
114	114	(b) The changes in law made by this Act to Subchapter P,
115	115	Chapter 56, Education Code, apply beginning with initial or
116	116	subsequent grants awarded for the 2022 fall semester. Initial or
117	117	subsequent grants awarded for a semester or term before the 2022
118	118	fall semester are governed by the applicable law in effect
119	119	immediately before the effective date of this Act, and the former
120	120	law is continued in effect for that purpose.
121	121	SECTION 8. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.