| 1 | 1 | | 87R5984 MM-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Hinojosa S.B. No. 575 |
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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 Nursing Faculty Loan Repayment Assistance Program. |
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| 8 | 8 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 9 | 9 | | SECTION 1. Section 61.9822, Education Code, is amended to |
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| 10 | 10 | | read as follows: |
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| 11 | 11 | | Sec. 61.9822. ELIGIBILITY. To be eligible to receive loan |
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| 12 | 12 | | repayment assistance under this subchapter, a nurse must: |
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| 13 | 13 | | (1) apply to the board; |
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| 14 | 14 | | (2) at the time of application for repayment |
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| 15 | 15 | | assistance have been employed part-time or full-time for at least |
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| 16 | 16 | | one year as, and be currently employed part-time or full-time as, a |
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| 17 | 17 | | faculty member of a nursing degree program at an institution of |
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| 18 | 18 | | higher education or a private or independent institution of higher |
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| 19 | 19 | | education; and |
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| 20 | 20 | | (3) comply with any additional requirements adopted by |
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| 21 | 21 | | board rule. |
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| 22 | 22 | | SECTION 2. Sections 61.9823(a) and (b), Education Code, are |
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| 23 | 23 | | amended to read as follows: |
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| 24 | 24 | | (a) On qualifying for loan repayment assistance under this |
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| 25 | 25 | | subchapter, a nurse may receive repayment assistance for each year |
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| 26 | 26 | | of part-time or full-time employment as a faculty member of a |
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| 27 | 27 | | nursing degree program at an institution of higher education or |
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| 28 | 28 | | private or independent institution of higher education, not to |
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| 29 | 29 | | exceed five years. |
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| 30 | 30 | | (b) The board by rule shall determine the maximum amount of |
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| 31 | 31 | | loan repayment assistance received by a nurse under this subchapter |
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| 32 | 32 | | [may not exceed $7,000] in any one year. The board shall base the |
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| 33 | 33 | | amount of loan repayment assistance received by a nurse for |
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| 34 | 34 | | part-time employment on the proportion of the number of hours |
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| 35 | 35 | | worked by the nurse to the number of hours worked by a full-time |
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| 36 | 36 | | nurse. |
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| 37 | 37 | | SECTION 3. (a) As soon as practicable after the effective |
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| 38 | 38 | | date of this Act, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board |
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| 39 | 39 | | shall adopt rules necessary to administer the changes in law made by |
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| 40 | 40 | | this Act. |
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| 41 | 41 | | (b) The changes in law made by this Act apply beginning with |
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| 42 | 42 | | loan repayment assistance awarded under Subchapter JJ, Chapter 61, |
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| 43 | 43 | | Education Code, for the 2022-2023 academic year. Loan repayment |
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| 44 | 44 | | assistance awarded under Subchapter JJ, Chapter 61, Education Code, |
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| 45 | 45 | | for an academic year before the 2022-2023 academic year is governed |
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| 46 | 46 | | by the law in effect immediately before the effective date of this |
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| 47 | 47 | | Act, and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. |
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| 48 | 48 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
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