| 1 | 1 | | 89R9472 KJE-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Simmons H.B. No. 2476 |
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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 a grant program for living expenses for certain |
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| 10 | 10 | | students enrolled at public institutions of higher education. |
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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. Chapter 56, Education Code, is amended by adding |
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| 13 | 13 | | Subchapter W to read as follows: |
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| 14 | 14 | | SUBCHAPTER W. LIVING EXPENSES GRANT PROGRAM |
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| 15 | 15 | | Sec. 56.701. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter: |
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| 16 | 16 | | (1) "Grant program" means the grant program |
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| 17 | 17 | | established under this subchapter. |
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| 18 | 18 | | (2) "Student who is homeless" has the meaning assigned |
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| 19 | 19 | | by Section 5.001 and includes a student who resides in a student |
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| 20 | 20 | | housing facility maintained by an institution of higher education |
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| 21 | 21 | | during an academic term but who is homeless between academic terms. |
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| 22 | 22 | | Sec. 56.702. PURPOSE. The purpose of the grant program is |
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| 23 | 23 | | to provide for the cost of living expenses for certain students |
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| 24 | 24 | | enrolled at institutions of higher education. |
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| 25 | 25 | | Sec. 56.703. ESTABLISHMENT; ADMINISTRATION. The |
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| 26 | 26 | | comptroller shall establish and administer a grant program to |
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| 27 | 27 | | provide grants for the cost of living expenses to eligible |
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| 28 | 28 | | students. |
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| 29 | 29 | | Sec. 56.704. ELIGIBILITY. To be eligible for a grant under |
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| 30 | 30 | | the grant program for an academic year, a student must be: |
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| 31 | 31 | | (1) either: |
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| 32 | 32 | | (A) a student who is homeless; or |
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| 33 | 33 | | (B) a minor whose disabilities of minority have |
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| 34 | 34 | | been removed under Chapter 31, Family Code; and |
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| 35 | 35 | | (2) enrolled at an institution of higher education. |
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| 36 | 36 | | Sec. 56.705. DETERMINATION OF ELIGIBILITY. Each |
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| 37 | 37 | | institution of higher education shall: |
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| 38 | 38 | | (1) assess the eligibility for the grant program under |
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| 39 | 39 | | Section 56.704(1) of each applicant who is offered admission to the |
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| 40 | 40 | | institution; and |
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| 41 | 41 | | (2) notify the comptroller of each applicant the |
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| 42 | 42 | | institution determines to be eligible under Subdivision (1). |
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| 43 | 43 | | Sec. 56.706. AMOUNT OF GRANT. (a) The comptroller shall |
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| 44 | 44 | | award a grant to each eligible student in the amount necessary to |
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| 45 | 45 | | pay the cost of the student's housing, food, and other living |
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| 46 | 46 | | expenses during the student's enrollment at the institution of |
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| 47 | 47 | | higher education for the applicable year. |
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| 48 | 48 | | (b) An eligible student is entitled to the full amount of a |
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| 49 | 49 | | grant under this section regardless of whether the student is |
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| 50 | 50 | | enrolled in a course for a summer term of the academic year for |
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| 51 | 51 | | which the grant is awarded. |
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| 52 | 52 | | Sec. 56.707. USE OF GRANT. A grant may be used only for the |
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| 53 | 53 | | cost of the eligible student's housing, food, and other living |
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| 54 | 54 | | expenses during the student's enrollment at the institution of |
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| 55 | 55 | | higher education for the applicable year. |
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| 56 | 56 | | Sec. 56.708. EFFECT OF GRANT ON OTHER AID. Notwithstanding |
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| 57 | 57 | | any other law, the amount of a grant awarded under the grant program |
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| 58 | 58 | | may not be considered in determining the amount of another grant, |
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| 59 | 59 | | scholarship, or other aid to which the student is entitled under |
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| 60 | 60 | | this chapter or another provision of this code. |
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| 61 | 61 | | Sec. 56.709. RULES. The comptroller, in consultation with |
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| 62 | 62 | | the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, shall adopt rules as |
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| 63 | 63 | | necessary to administer the grant program. |
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| 64 | 64 | | SECTION 2. (a) The comptroller of public accounts, in |
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| 65 | 65 | | consultation with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, |
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| 66 | 66 | | shall adopt rules to administer Subchapter W, Chapter 56, Education |
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| 67 | 67 | | Code, as added by this Act, as soon as practicable after the |
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| 68 | 68 | | effective date of this Act. |
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| 69 | 69 | | (b) The comptroller of public accounts shall begin awarding |
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| 70 | 70 | | grants to eligible students under Subchapter W, Chapter 56, |
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| 71 | 71 | | Education Code, as added by this Act, for the first academic year |
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| 72 | 72 | | for which money is appropriated for that purpose, except that the |
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| 73 | 73 | | coordinating board may not allocate funds under that subchapter for |
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| 74 | 74 | | an academic year before the 2026-2027 academic year. |
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| 75 | 75 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 76 | 76 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 77 | 77 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 78 | 78 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 79 | 79 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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