| 1 | 1 | | 88R5767 CXP-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Raney H.B. No. 3997 |
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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 reporting and data collection requirements in relation |
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| 8 | 8 | | to tuition and fee exemptions at public institutions of higher |
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| 9 | 9 | | education for certain military personnel and their family members. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Section 54.341(h), Education Code, is amended to |
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| 12 | 12 | | read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | (h) The governing board of each institution of higher |
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| 14 | 14 | | education shall electronically report to the Texas Higher Education |
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| 15 | 15 | | Coordinating Board [Veterans Commission] the information required |
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| 16 | 16 | | by Section 61.0516 [434.00791, Government Code,] relating to each |
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| 17 | 17 | | individual receiving an exemption from fees and charges under |
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| 18 | 18 | | Subsection (a), (a-2), (b), or (k). The institution shall report |
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| 19 | 19 | | the information not later than January 31 of each year for the fall |
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| 20 | 20 | | semester, June 30 of each year for the spring semester, and |
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| 21 | 21 | | September 30 of each year for the summer session. |
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| 22 | 22 | | SECTION 2. Section 434.00791, Government Code, is |
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| 23 | 23 | | transferred to Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, |
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| 24 | 24 | | redesignated as Section 61.0516, Education Code, and amended to |
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| 25 | 25 | | read as follows: |
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| 26 | 26 | | Sec. 61.0516 [434.00791]. ELECTRONIC SYSTEM TO MONITOR |
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| 27 | 27 | | TUITION EXEMPTIONS FOR VETERANS AND FAMILY MEMBERS. [(a) In this |
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| 28 | 28 | | section, "institution of higher education" has the meaning assigned |
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| 29 | 29 | | by Section 61.003, Education Code. |
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| 30 | 30 | | [(b)] The board [commission] shall maintain [ensure] a |
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| 31 | 31 | | system to electronically monitor the use of tuition and fee |
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| 32 | 32 | | exemptions at institutions of higher education under Section |
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| 33 | 33 | | 54.341[, Education Code, is developed]. The system must allow the |
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| 34 | 34 | | board [commission] to electronically receive, for each semester, |
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| 35 | 35 | | the following information from institutions of higher education: |
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| 36 | 36 | | (1) the name of the institution; |
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| 37 | 37 | | (2) the name, identification number, and date of birth |
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| 38 | 38 | | of each individual attending the institution and receiving benefits |
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| 39 | 39 | | for the semester under Section 54.341[, Education Code]; |
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| 40 | 40 | | (3) for each individual receiving benefits, the number |
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| 41 | 41 | | of credit hours for which the individual received an exemption for |
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| 42 | 42 | | the semester; |
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| 43 | 43 | | (4) for each individual receiving benefits at the |
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| 44 | 44 | | institution during the semester, the total cumulative number of |
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| 45 | 45 | | credit hours for which the individual has received an exemption at |
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| 46 | 46 | | the institution; and |
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| 47 | 47 | | (5) any other information required by the board |
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| 48 | 48 | | [commission]. |
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| 49 | 49 | | SECTION 3. The changes in law made by this Act apply |
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| 50 | 50 | | beginning with tuition and fee exemptions under Section 54.341, |
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| 51 | 51 | | Education Code, for the 2023 fall semester. Tuition and fee |
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| 52 | 52 | | exemptions for a term or semester before the 2023 fall semester are |
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| 53 | 53 | | governed by the law in effect immediately before the effective date |
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| 54 | 54 | | of this Act, and the former law is continued in effect for that |
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| 55 | 55 | | purpose. |
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| 56 | 56 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 57 | 57 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 58 | 58 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 59 | 59 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 60 | 60 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
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