Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB33 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	87R2966 KJE-D
2	2	By: Zaffirini S.B. No. 33
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the establishment of the Texas Promise Grant Program
8	8	for certain students at public institutions of higher education.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. Chapter 56, Education Code, is amended by adding
11	11	Subchapter U to read as follows:
12	12	SUBCHAPTER U. TEXAS PROMISE GRANT PROGRAM
13	13	Sec. 56.601. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
14	14	(1) "Coordinating board" means the Texas Higher
15	15	Education Coordinating Board.
16	16	(2) "Program" means the Texas Promise Grant Program
17	17	established under this subchapter.
18	18	Sec. 56.602. PROGRAM PURPOSE. The purpose of the Texas
19	19	Promise Grant Program is to provide assistance in the payment of
20	20	tuition and mandatory fees to enable eligible students to attend
21	21	institutions of higher education.
22	22	Sec. 56.603. ADMINISTRATION OF PROGRAM; AWARD OF GRANT.
23	23	(a) The coordinating board shall administer the program and adopt
24	24	any rules necessary to implement the program or this subchapter.
25	25	The coordinating board shall consult with the student financial aid
26	26	officers of institutions of higher education in developing the
27	27	rules.
28	28	(b) The coordinating board shall award a grant to each
29	29	eligible student under the program.
30	30	Sec. 56.604. INITIAL ELIGIBILITY FOR GRANT. (a) To be
31	31	eligible initially for a grant under the program, a person must:
32	32	(1) be a resident of this state as determined by
33	33	coordinating board rules;
34	34	(2) have an annual household income of less than
35	35	$150,000;
36	36	(3) have graduated from high school or received a high
37	37	school equivalency certificate within the last three years;
38	38	(4) be enrolled in an associate or baccalaureate
39	39	degree or certificate program at an institution of higher
40	40	education;
41	41	(5) be enrolled as an entering student for at least
42	42	one-half of a full course load for an entering student in the
43	43	associate or baccalaureate degree or certificate program, as
44	44	determined by the coordinating board;
45	45	(6) have applied for any available financial aid or
46	46	assistance; and
47	47	(7) comply with any additional nonacademic or
48	48	nonfinancial requirement adopted by the coordinating board under
49	49	this subchapter.
50	50	(b) A person is not eligible to receive a grant under the
51	51	program if the person has been convicted of a felony or an offense
52	52	under Chapter 481, Health and Safety Code (Texas Controlled
53	53	Substances Act), or under the law of another jurisdiction involving
54	54	a controlled substance as defined by Chapter 481, Health and Safety
55	55	Code, unless the person has met the other applicable eligibility
56	56	requirements under the program and has:
57	57	(1) received a certificate of discharge by the Texas
58	58	Department of Criminal Justice or a correctional facility or
59	59	completed a period of probation ordered by a court, and at least two
60	60	years have elapsed from the date of the receipt or completion; or
61	61	(2) been pardoned, had the record of the offense
62	62	expunged from the person's record, or otherwise been released from
63	63	the resulting ineligibility to receive a grant under the program.
64	64	(c) A person is not eligible to receive a grant under the
65	65	program if the person has:
66	66	(1) been granted:
67	67	(A) a certificate for completion of a certificate
68	68	program; or
69	69	(B) an associate or baccalaureate degree; or
70	70	(2) completed more than the following number of
71	71	semester credit hours or the equivalent at an institution of higher
72	72	education, excluding semester credit hours or the equivalent earned
73	73	for a dual credit course:
74	74	(A) 90 semester credit hours or the equivalent,
75	75	if the person is enrolled in a degree or certificate program of two
76	76	years or less; or
77	77	(B) 135 semester credit hours or the equivalent,
78	78	if the person is enrolled in a degree or certificate program of more
79	79	than two years.
80	80	(d) A person may not receive a grant under the program for
81	81	more than:
82	82	(1) 75 semester credit hours or the equivalent, if the
83	83	person is enrolled in a degree or certificate program of two years
84	84	or less; or
85	85	(2) 150 semester credit hours or the equivalent, if
86	86	the person is enrolled in a degree or certificate program of more
87	87	than two years.
88	88	(e) A person's eligibility for a grant under the program
89	89	ends on:
90	90	(1) the third anniversary of the initial award of a
91	91	grant under the program to the person, if the person is enrolled in
92	92	a degree or certificate program of two years or less;
93	93	(2) the fifth anniversary of the initial award of a
94	94	grant under the program to the person, if the person is enrolled in
95	95	a degree or certificate program of more than two years but not more
96	96	than four years; or
97	97	(3) the sixth anniversary of the initial award of a
98	98	grant under the program to the person, if the person is enrolled in
99	99	a degree or certificate program of more than four years.
100	100	Sec. 56.605. CONTINUING ELIGIBILITY AND ACADEMIC
101	101	PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS. (a) After initially qualifying for a
102	102	grant under the program, a person may continue to receive a grant
103	103	under the program during each semester or term in which the person
104	104	is enrolled at an institution of higher education only if the
105	105	person:
106	106	(1) is enrolled in an associate or baccalaureate
107	107	degree or certificate program at an institution of higher
108	108	education;
109	109	(2) has an annual household income of less than
110	110	$150,000;
111	111	(3) is enrolled for at least one-half of a full course
112	112	load for a student in an associate or baccalaureate degree or
113	113	certificate program, as determined by the coordinating board;
114	114	(4) makes satisfactory academic progress toward an
115	115	associate or baccalaureate degree or certificate; and
116	116	(5) complies with any additional nonacademic or
117	117	nonfinancial requirement adopted by the coordinating board.
118	118	(b) A person is not eligible to continue to receive a grant
119	119	under this section if the person has been convicted of a felony or
120	120	an offense under Chapter 481, Health and Safety Code (Texas
121	121	Controlled Substances Act), or under the law of another
122	122	jurisdiction involving a controlled substance as defined by Chapter
123	123	481, Health and Safety Code, unless the person has met the other
124	124	applicable eligibility requirements under this subchapter and has:
125	125	(1) received a certificate of discharge by the Texas
126	126	Department of Criminal Justice or a correctional facility or
127	127	completed a period of probation ordered by a court, and at least two
128	128	years have elapsed from the date of the receipt or completion; or
129	129	(2) been pardoned, had the record of the offense
130	130	expunged from the person's record, or otherwise been released from
131	131	the resulting ineligibility to receive a grant under the program.
132	132	(c) If a person fails to meet any of the requirements of
133	133	Subsection (a) after the completion of any semester or term, the
134	134	person may not receive a grant under the program during the next
135	135	semester or term in which the person enrolls. A person may become
136	136	eligible to receive a grant under the program in a subsequent
137	137	semester or term if the person:
138	138	(1) completes a semester or term during which the
139	139	person is not eligible for a grant; and
140	140	(2) meets all the requirements of Subsection (a).
141	141	(d) For the purpose of this section, a person makes
142	142	satisfactory academic progress toward an associate or
143	143	baccalaureate degree or certificate only if:
144	144	(1) in the person's first academic year, the person
145	145	meets the satisfactory academic progress requirements of the
146	146	institution at which the person is enrolled; and
147	147	(2) in the subsequent academic year, the person:
148	148	(A) completes at least 75 percent of the semester
149	149	credit hours or the equivalent attempted in the person's most
150	150	recent academic year; and
151	151	(B) has earned an overall grade point average of
152	152	at least 2.5 on a four-point scale or the equivalent on coursework
153	153	previously attempted at institutions of higher education.
154	154	(e) A person who is eligible to receive a grant under the
155	155	program continues to remain eligible to receive the grant if the
156	156	person enrolls in or transfers to another institution of higher
157	157	education.
158	158	(f) The coordinating board shall adopt rules to allow a
159	159	person who is otherwise eligible to receive a grant under the
160	160	program, in the event of a hardship or for other good cause shown,
161	161	including a showing of a severe illness or other debilitating
162	162	condition that may affect the person's academic performance or a
163	163	showing that the person is responsible for the care of a sick,
164	164	injured, or needy person and that the person's provision of care may
165	165	affect the person's academic performance, to receive a grant under
166	166	the program:
167	167	(1) while enrolled in a number of semester credit
168	168	hours that is less than the number of semester credit hours or the
169	169	equivalent required under Subsection (a)(3); or
170	170	(2) if the person's grade point average or completion
171	171	rate falls below the satisfactory academic progress requirements of
172	172	Subsection (d).
173	173	Sec. 56.606. GRANT USE. A grant awarded under the program
174	174	must be applied first to the payment of tuition and mandatory fees
175	175	at an institution of higher education.
176	176	Sec. 56.607. GRANT AMOUNT. (a) The amount of a grant
177	177	awarded to an eligible student under the program for a semester or
178	178	other academic term in which the student is enrolled at an
179	179	institution of higher education is:
180	180	(1) for a student whose annual household income is
181	181	less than $100,000, an amount not to exceed the greater of:
182	182	(A) the difference between the amount of tuition
183	183	and mandatory fees charged to the student by the institution for
184	184	that semester or term and the amount of any other gift aid,
185	185	including state or federal grants or scholarships, awarded to the
186	186	student for that semester or term; or
187	187	(B) $1,000; or
188	188	(2) for a student whose annual household income is
189	189	$100,000 or more, an amount not to exceed the product of:
190	190	(A) the difference between the amount of tuition
191	191	and mandatory fees charged to the student by the institution for
192	192	that semester or term and the amount of any other gift aid,
193	193	including state or federal grants or scholarships, awarded to the
194	194	student for that semester or term; and
195	195	(B) the quotient of:
196	196	(i) the difference between the maximum
197	197	annual household income for which a student may be eligible for a
198	198	grant under the program and the student's annual household income;
199	199	and
200	200	(ii) 50,000.
201	201	(b) The coordinating board may adopt rules that allow the
202	202	coordinating board to decrease, in proportion to the number of
203	203	semester credit hours or the equivalent in which a student is
204	204	enrolled, the amount of a grant award under Subsection (a)(1)(B) to
205	205	a student who is enrolled in less than a full course load for a
206	206	student in an associate or baccalaureate degree or certificate
207	207	program, as determined by the coordinating board.
208	208	(c) A grant may not be awarded under the program to an
209	209	eligible student for a semester or other academic term until any
210	210	other gift aid for which the student is eligible has been awarded to
211	211	the student and the amount of tuition and mandatory fees owed by the
212	212	student has been established for purposes of determining the
213	213	appropriate amount of the student's grant under Subsection (a).
214	214	(d) The coordinating board shall issue to each eligible
215	215	student a certificate indicating the amount of the grant awarded to
216	216	the student.
217	217	Sec. 56.608. NOTIFICATION OF PROGRAM; RESPONSIBILITIES OF
218	218	SCHOOL DISTRICTS. (a) The coordinating board, in consultation
219	219	with all institutions of higher education, shall prepare materials
220	220	designed to inform prospective students, their parents, and high
221	221	school counselors about the program and eligibility for a grant
222	222	under the program. The coordinating board shall distribute to each
223	223	institution of higher education and to each school district a copy
224	224	of the materials prepared under this section.
225	225	(b) Each school district shall notify its high school
226	226	students, those students' teachers and school counselors, and those
227	227	students' parents or guardians of the program and the eligibility
228	228	requirements of the program.
229	229	SECTION 2. (a) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating
230	230	Board shall adopt rules to administer Subchapter U, Chapter 56,
231	231	Education Code, as added by this Act, as soon as practicable after
232	232	the effective date of this Act. For that purpose, the coordinating
233	233	board may adopt the initial rules in the manner provided by law for
234	234	emergency rules.
235	235	(b) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall
236	236	begin awarding grants under Subchapter U, Chapter 56, Education
237	237	Code, as added by this Act, for the first academic year for which
238	238	money is appropriated for that purpose, except that the
239	239	coordinating board may not award grants under that subchapter for
240	240	an academic year before the 2022-2023 academic year.
241	241	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
242	242	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
243	243	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
244	244	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
245	245	Act takes effect September 1, 2021.