| 1 | 1 | | 89R2394 CXP-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Hagenbuch S.B. No. 1134 |
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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 assistance for tuition and fees at postsecondary |
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| 10 | 10 | | educational institutions for certain members of the Texas military |
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| 11 | 11 | | forces. |
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| 12 | 12 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 13 | 13 | | SECTION 1. Sections 54.345(b) and (c), Education Code, are |
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| 14 | 14 | | amended to read as follows: |
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| 15 | 15 | | (b) An institution of higher education shall exempt a person |
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| 16 | 16 | | certified by the adjutant general as described by Subsection (a) |
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| 17 | 17 | | from the payment of tuition for the semester credit hours for which |
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| 18 | 18 | | the person enrolls, not to exceed 15 [12] semester credit hours. If |
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| 19 | 19 | | the person is not charged tuition at the rate provided for other |
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| 20 | 20 | | Texas residents, the amount of the exemption may not exceed the |
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| 21 | 21 | | amount of tuition the person would be charged as a Texas resident |
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| 22 | 22 | | for the number of semester credit hours for which the person |
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| 23 | 23 | | enrolls, not to exceed 15 [12] semester credit hours. |
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| 24 | 24 | | (c) An institution of higher education shall exempt a person |
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| 25 | 25 | | who receives an exemption from tuition under Subsection (b) from |
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| 26 | 26 | | the payment of all mandatory fees for any semester or term in which |
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| 27 | 27 | | the person receives the tuition exemption. |
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| 28 | 28 | | SECTION 2. Sections 437.226(c), (d), (e), (f), (g), and |
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| 29 | 29 | | (i), Government Code, are amended to read as follows: |
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| 30 | 30 | | (c) The adjutant general shall grant assistance for tuition |
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| 31 | 31 | | and mandatory fees under this section to eligible service members, |
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| 32 | 32 | | in an amount not to exceed the amount provided in the General |
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| 33 | 33 | | Appropriations Act. The adjutant general may apportion the number |
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| 34 | 34 | | of assistance awards among the components of the Texas military |
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| 35 | 35 | | forces necessary to meet the recruitment and retention needs of |
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| 36 | 36 | | those components. The number of assistance awards made to members |
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| 37 | 37 | | of the Texas State Guard may not exceed 45 [30] for any semester or |
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| 38 | 38 | | term unless the adjutant general finds a compelling need for |
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| 39 | 39 | | additional awards to members of the Texas State Guard. |
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| 40 | 40 | | (d) Assistance for tuition and mandatory fees may be awarded |
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| 41 | 41 | | under this section for tuition and mandatory fees charged for any |
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| 42 | 42 | | undergraduate or graduate course for any semester or term at an |
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| 43 | 43 | | institution of higher education or private or independent |
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| 44 | 44 | | institution of higher education, including a vocational or |
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| 45 | 45 | | technical course. |
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| 46 | 46 | | (e) A service member may not receive assistance for tuition |
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| 47 | 47 | | under this section for more than 15 [12] semester credit hours in |
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| 48 | 48 | | any semester or term. |
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| 49 | 49 | | (f) A service member may not receive assistance for tuition |
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| 50 | 50 | | and mandatory fees under this section for more than seven [5] |
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| 51 | 51 | | academic years or 15 [10] semesters or terms, whichever occurs |
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| 52 | 52 | | first for the service member. |
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| 53 | 53 | | (g) Before each semester or term, the department must |
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| 54 | 54 | | certify to the appropriate public and private institutions of |
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| 55 | 55 | | higher education a list of the service members to whom the adjutant |
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| 56 | 56 | | general has awarded assistance for tuition and mandatory fees under |
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| 57 | 57 | | this section for that semester or term. The amount of assistance |
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| 58 | 58 | | awarded by the adjutant general under this section may not exceed |
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| 59 | 59 | | the amount of money available to fund the assistance awards. |
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| 60 | 60 | | (i) From money appropriated for purposes of this section, |
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| 61 | 61 | | the department shall authorize the comptroller to make a grant to a |
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| 62 | 62 | | service member attending a private or independent institution of |
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| 63 | 63 | | higher education to whom the adjutant general has awarded |
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| 64 | 64 | | assistance for tuition and mandatory fees for the semester or term |
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| 65 | 65 | | under this section. The amount of a grant under this subsection is |
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| 66 | 66 | | an amount equal to the average amount of reimbursement the |
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| 67 | 67 | | department estimates will be paid per student for the same semester |
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| 68 | 68 | | or term under Subsection (h). |
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| 69 | 69 | | SECTION 3. This Act applies beginning with the 2025 fall |
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| 70 | 70 | | semester. |
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| 71 | 71 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 72 | 72 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 73 | 73 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 74 | 74 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 75 | 75 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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