Texas 2023 - 88th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1590 Compare Versions

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1	1	88R2401 JRJ-F
2	2	By: LaMantia S.B. No. 1590
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5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the Rural Veterinarian Incentive Program.
8	8	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
9	9	SECTION 1. Section 56.101(2), Education Code, is amended to
10	10	read as follows:
11	11	(2) "College" means a college of veterinary medicine
12	12	[located in this state and] accredited by the American Veterinary
13	13	Medical Association Council on Education.
14	14	SECTION 2. Section 56.104, Education Code, is amended to
15	15	read as follows:
16	16	Sec. 56.104. ELIGIBLE VETERINARY STUDENT OR GRADUATE. A
17	17	[(a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), a] person is eligible to
18	18	participate in the program only if the person:
19	19	(1) is enrolled as a student of a [the] college or
20	20	applies to participate in the program on or before the fourth
21	21	anniversary of the date the person graduates from a [the] college;
22	22	(2) will receive or has received from a student loan at
23	23	least 50 percent of the funds for tuition and fees for one or more
24	24	academic years while enrolled in the college; and
25	25	(3) meets any additional qualifications adopted by the
26	26	committee.
27	27	[(b) A person enrolled as a student in an accredited college
28	28	of veterinary medicine located outside of this state may apply
29	29	under Subsection (a) to participate in the program if the student
30	30	graduated from a high school located in this state or a general
31	31	academic teaching institution located in this state.]
32	32	SECTION 3. Section 56.105(b), Education Code, is amended to
33	33	read as follows:
34	34	(b) To participate as a sponsor in the program, the
35	35	community or political subdivision must enter into an agreement
36	36	with the eligible participant to provide financial support to the
37	37	eligible participant in an amount not less than the tuition and fees
38	38	required for a full academic year for a student enrolled in a [the]
39	39	college in exchange for the eligible participant's agreement to
40	40	practice veterinary medicine in the sponsoring community or
41	41	political subdivision.
42	42	SECTION 4. Sections 56.106(a) and (b), Education Code, are
43	43	amended to read as follows:
44	44	(a) To participate in the program, an eligible participant
45	45	must enter into an agreement with the Texas Higher Education
46	46	Coordinating Board [university system] that:
47	47	(1) requires the participant to practice veterinary
48	48	medicine in a rural county for one calendar year for each academic
49	49	year for which the participant receives financial support under the
50	50	program;
51	51	(2) specifies the conditions the participant must
52	52	satisfy to receive financial support under the program;
53	53	(3) provides that any financial support the
54	54	participant receives under the program constitutes a loan until the
55	55	participant satisfies the conditions of the agreement; and
56	56	(4) requires the participant to sign a promissory note
57	57	acknowledging the conditional nature of the financial support
58	58	received under the program and promising to repay the amount of the
59	59	financial support, any applicable interest, and reasonable
60	60	collection costs if the participant does not satisfy the conditions
61	61	of the agreement.
62	62	(b) The financial support received by an eligible
63	63	participant under this subchapter must be used to retire student
64	64	loan debt or to pay tuition and fees to a college [the university
65	65	system] while the eligible participant is enrolled in the college.
66	66	SECTION 5. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
67	67	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
68	68	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
69	69	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
70	70	Act takes effect September 1, 2023.