Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HB1507 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1		-	~~89R10953~~ JTZ-F
	1	+	89R3010 JTZ-F
2	2		By: Ashby H.B. No. 1507
3		-	~~Substitute the following for H.B. No. 1507:~~
4		-	~~By: Wilson C.S.H.B. No. 1507~~
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5	5
6	6
7	7		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8		AN ACT
9	9		relating to tuition and fee exemptions for firefighters enrolled in
10	10		certain courses at public institutions of higher education.
11	11		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12		SECTION 1. Section 54.353(a), Education Code, is amended to
13	13		read as follows:
14	14		(a) The governing board of an institution of higher
15	15		education shall exempt from the payment of tuition and laboratory
16	16		fees any student enrolled in one or more courses offered as part of
17		-	a fire science curriculum [who]:
18		-	(1) ~~who~~ is employed as a firefighter by a political
	17	+	a fire science curriculum who:
	18	+	(1) is employed as a firefighter by a political
19	19		subdivision of this state; or
20		-	(2) who:
21		-	(A) is:
22		-	(i) a member in good standing of a volunteer
23		-	fire department that is registered with the Texas A&M Forest
24		-	Service and responds to 9-1-1 emergency calls in a designated area;
25		-	or
26		-	(ii) currently, and has been for at least
27		-	one year, an active member of an organized volunteer fire
28		-	department participating in the Texas Emergency Services
29		-	Retirement System or a retirement system established under the
30		-	Texas Local Fire Fighters Retirement Act (Article 6243e, Vernon's
31		-	Texas Civil Statutes);
32		-	(B) attends at least 20 hours of annual training
	20	+	(2) is a member in good standing of a volunteer fire
	21	+	department that is registered with the Texas A&M Forest Service and
	22	+	responds to 9-1-1 emergency calls in a designated area [currently,
	23	+	and has been for at least one year, an active member of an organized
	24	+	volunteer fire department participating in the Texas Emergency
	25	+	Services Retirement System or a retirement system established under
	26	+	the Texas Local Fire Fighters Retirement Act (Article 6243e,
	27	+	Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes)] and who:
	28	+	(A) attends at least 20 hours of annual training
33	29		approved by the State Firefighters' and Fire Marshals' Association
34	30		of Texas;
35		-	(C) attends or provides support services for at
	31	+	(B) attends or provides support services for at
36	32		least 25 percent of the department's emergencies in a calendar
37	33		year; and
38		-	(D) ~~[who]~~ holds:
	34	+	(C) holds:
39	35		(i) [(A)] an Accredited Advanced level of
40	36		certification, or an equivalent successor certification, under the
41	37		State Firefighters' [Firemen's] and Fire Marshals' Association of
42	38		Texas volunteer certification program; or
43	39		(ii) [(B)] Phase V (Firefighter II)
44	40		certification, or an equivalent successor certification, under the
45	41		Texas Commission on Fire Protection's voluntary certification
46	42		program under Section 419.071, Government Code.
47	43		SECTION 2. Section 54.353(a), Education Code, as amended by
48	44		this Act, applies beginning with tuition and laboratory fees
49	45		charged for the 2025 fall semester. Tuition and laboratory fees
50	46		charged for an academic period before that semester are covered by
51	47		the law in effect immediately before the effective date of this Act,
52	48		and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
53	49		SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
54	50		a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
55	51		provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
56	52		Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
57	53		Act takes effect September 1, 2025.