| 1 | 1 | | 89R3675 JG-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Hopper H.B. No. 2327 |
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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 eligibility for loans from the Veterans' Land Board. |
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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 161.001(a)(7), Natural Resources Code, |
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| 12 | 12 | | is amended to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | (7) "Veteran" means a person who: |
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| 14 | 14 | | (A)(i) served not less than 90 days, unless |
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| 15 | 15 | | sooner discharged by reason of a service-connected disability, on |
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| 16 | 16 | | active duty in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, United States |
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| 17 | 17 | | Public Health Service (as constituted under 42 U.S.C. Section 201 |
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| 18 | 18 | | et seq.), or Marine Corps of the United States after September 16, |
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| 19 | 19 | | 1940, and who on the date of filing an application under the program |
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| 20 | 20 | | has not been dishonorably discharged from the branch of the service |
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| 21 | 21 | | in which the person served; |
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| 22 | 22 | | (ii) has at least 20 years of active or |
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| 23 | 23 | | reserve military service as computed when determining the person's |
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| 24 | 24 | | eligibility to receive retired pay under applicable federal law; |
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| 25 | 25 | | (iii) has enlisted or received an |
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| 26 | 26 | | appointment in the Texas National Guard, who has completed all |
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| 27 | 27 | | initial active duty training required as a condition of the |
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| 28 | 28 | | enlistment or appointment, and who on the date of filing the |
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| 29 | 29 | | person's application has not been dishonorably discharged from the |
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| 30 | 30 | | Texas National Guard; [or] |
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| 31 | 31 | | (iv) served in the armed forces of the |
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| 32 | 32 | | Republic of Vietnam between February 28, 1961, and May 7, 1975, if |
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| 33 | 33 | | the board adopts a rule regarding these veterans under Subsection |
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| 34 | 34 | | (b); or |
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| 35 | 35 | | (v) served as a member of a military force |
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| 36 | 36 | | organized under state law and who, on the date of filing an |
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| 37 | 37 | | application under this chapter: |
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| 38 | 38 | | (a) has served for 184 days or more as |
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| 39 | 39 | | part of a mission to secure the Texas-Mexico border on behalf of |
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| 40 | 40 | | this state; |
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| 41 | 41 | | (b) has not been dishonorably |
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| 42 | 42 | | discharged from the military force in which the person served; and |
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| 43 | 43 | | (c) is not a member of the |
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| 44 | 44 | | legislature; |
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| 45 | 45 | | (B) at the time of the person's enlistment, |
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| 46 | 46 | | induction, commissioning, appointment, or drafting was a bona fide |
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| 47 | 47 | | resident of this state or has resided in this state at least one |
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| 48 | 48 | | year immediately before the date of filing an application under |
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| 49 | 49 | | this chapter; and |
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| 50 | 50 | | (C) at the time of the person's application under |
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| 51 | 51 | | this chapter is a bona fide resident of this state. The term |
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| 52 | 52 | | includes the unmarried surviving spouse of a veteran who died or who |
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| 53 | 53 | | is identified as missing in action if the deceased or missing |
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| 54 | 54 | | veteran meets the requirements of this section, with the exception |
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| 55 | 55 | | that the deceased or missing veteran need not have served 90 days |
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| 56 | 56 | | under Paragraph (A)(i) of this subdivision, and if the deceased or |
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| 57 | 57 | | missing veteran was a bona fide resident of this state at the time |
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| 58 | 58 | | of enlistment, induction, commissioning, appointment, or drafting. |
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| 59 | 59 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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