| 1 | 1 | | 89R215 MM-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Raymond H.B. No. 1867 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | |
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| 6 | 6 | | |
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| 7 | 7 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 8 | 8 | | AN ACT |
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| 9 | 9 | | relating to tuition and fee exemptions at public institutions of |
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| 10 | 10 | | higher education for the siblings of certain military personnel. |
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| 11 | 11 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 12 | 12 | | SECTION 1. Section 54.341, Education Code, is amended by |
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| 13 | 13 | | amending Subsections (a-2) and (b-1) and adding Subsection (a-5) to |
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| 14 | 14 | | read as follows: |
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| 15 | 15 | | (a-2) The exemptions provided for in Subsection (a) also |
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| 16 | 16 | | apply to the spouse or a sibling of: |
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| 17 | 17 | | (1) a member of the armed forces of the United States: |
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| 18 | 18 | | (A) who was killed in action; |
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| 19 | 19 | | (B) who died while in service; |
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| 20 | 20 | | (C) who is missing in action; |
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| 21 | 21 | | (D) whose death is documented to be directly |
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| 22 | 22 | | caused by illness or injury connected with service in the armed |
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| 23 | 23 | | forces of the United States; or |
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| 24 | 24 | | (E) who became totally and permanently disabled |
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| 25 | 25 | | or meets the eligibility requirements for individual |
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| 26 | 26 | | unemployability according to the disability ratings of the |
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| 27 | 27 | | Department of Veterans Affairs as a result of a service-related |
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| 28 | 28 | | injury; or |
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| 29 | 29 | | (2) a member of the Texas National Guard or the Texas |
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| 30 | 30 | | Air National Guard who: |
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| 31 | 31 | | (A) was killed since January 1, 1946, while on |
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| 32 | 32 | | active duty either in the service of this state or the United |
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| 33 | 33 | | States; or |
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| 34 | 34 | | (B) is totally and permanently disabled or meets |
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| 35 | 35 | | the eligibility requirements for individual unemployability |
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| 36 | 36 | | according to the disability ratings of the Department of Veterans |
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| 37 | 37 | | Affairs, regardless of whether the member is eligible to receive |
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| 38 | 38 | | disability benefits from the department, as a result of a |
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| 39 | 39 | | service-related injury suffered since January 1, 1946, while on |
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| 40 | 40 | | active duty either in the service of this state or the United |
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| 41 | 41 | | States. |
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| 42 | 42 | | (a-5) A sibling of a member of the armed forces may qualify |
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| 43 | 43 | | for an exemption under Subsection (a-2) only if the member does not |
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| 44 | 44 | | have a spouse or child. |
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| 45 | 45 | | (b-1) To qualify for an exemption under Subsection (a-2) or |
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| 46 | 46 | | (b), the spouse, [or] child, or sibling must be classified as a |
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| 47 | 47 | | resident under Subchapter B on the date of the spouse's, [or] |
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| 48 | 48 | | child's, or sibling's registration. |
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| 49 | 49 | | SECTION 2. The changes in law made by this Act to Section |
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| 50 | 50 | | 54.341, Education Code, apply beginning with tuition and fees |
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| 51 | 51 | | charged for the 2025 fall semester. Tuition and fees charged for a |
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| 52 | 52 | | term or semester before the 2025 fall semester are covered by the |
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| 53 | 53 | | law in effect immediately before the effective date of this Act, and |
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| 54 | 54 | | the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. |
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| 55 | 55 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 56 | 56 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 57 | 57 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 58 | 58 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 59 | 59 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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