Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB186 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R3003 MM-F
2	2	By: Menéndez S.B. No. 186
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to the establishment of the Texas Students with
10	10	Disabilities Scholarship Program for certain students at public
11	11	institutions of higher education.
12	12	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
13	13	SECTION 1. Chapter 56, Education Code, is amended by adding
14	14	Subchapter U to read as follows:
15	15	SUBCHAPTER U. TEXAS STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
16	16	Sec. 56.541. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
17	17	(1) "Coordinating board" means the Texas Higher
18	18	Education Coordinating Board.
19	19	(2) "Program" means the Texas Students with
20	20	Disabilities Scholarship Program established under this
21	21	subchapter.
22	22	Sec. 56.542. PROGRAM PURPOSE. The purpose of the Texas
23	23	Students with Disabilities Scholarship Program is to provide
24	24	assistance in the payment of tuition and mandatory fees to enable
25	25	eligible students to attend institutions of higher education.
26	26	Sec. 56.543. ADMINISTRATION OF PROGRAM; AWARD OF
27	27	SCHOLARSHIP. (a) The coordinating board shall administer the
28	28	program and adopt any rules necessary to implement the program or
29	29	this subchapter. The coordinating board shall consult with the
30	30	student financial aid officers of institutions of higher education
31	31	and a representative from at least one of the University Centers for
32	32	Excellence in Developmental Disabilities in this state in
33	33	developing the rules.
34	34	(b) The coordinating board shall award a scholarship to each
35	35	eligible student under the program, as provided by Section 56.547.
36	36	(c) The coordinating board by rule shall develop a
37	37	disability affidavit form that may be used to establish that a
38	38	student has a disability for purposes of Section 56.544(a)(6) based
39	39	on a diagnosis by a licensed physician or other documentation
40	40	determined appropriate by the coordinating board. In developing
41	41	the disability affidavit form in a manner that ensures the form
42	42	properly verifies that a person has a disability, the coordinating
43	43	board shall consult with:
44	44	(1) at least one University Centers for Excellence in
45	45	Developmental Disabilities program in this state; or
46	46	(2) a statewide, cross-disability advocacy
47	47	organization.
48	48	(d) The coordinating board may use any available revenue,
49	49	including legislative appropriations, and may solicit and accept
50	50	gifts, grants, and donations from any public or private source for
51	51	the purposes of this subchapter.
52	52	Sec. 56.544. INITIAL ELIGIBILITY FOR SCHOLARSHIP. (a) To
53	53	be eligible initially for a scholarship under the program, a person
54	54	must:
55	55	(1) be a resident of this state as determined by
56	56	coordinating board rules;
57	57	(2) be enrolled in an associate or baccalaureate
58	58	degree or certificate program at an institution of higher
59	59	education;
60	60	(3) be enrolled as an entering student for at least
61	61	one-quarter of a full course load for an entering student in the
62	62	associate or baccalaureate degree or certificate program, as
63	63	determined by the coordinating board;
64	64	(4) have applied for any available financial aid or
65	65	assistance;
66	66	(5) comply with any additional nonacademic or
67	67	nonfinancial requirement adopted by the coordinating board under
68	68	this subchapter; and
69	69	(6) establish that the person has a disability by:
70	70	(A) providing proof that the person:
71	71	(i) is a person with a disability as defined
72	72	by 42 U.S.C. Section 12102;
73	73	(ii) receives Supplemental Security Income
74	74	(SSI) benefits under 42 U.S.C. Section 1381 et seq. on the basis of
75	75	disability or blindness;
76	76	(iii) receives Social Security Disability
77	77	Insurance (SSDI) benefits under 42 U.S.C. Section 401 et seq.; or
78	78	(iv) qualifies for or is receiving
79	79	vocational rehabilitation services provided through the Texas
80	80	Workforce Commission; or
81	81	(B) if the student is unable to provide proof in
82	82	accordance with Paragraph (A), completing a disability affidavit
83	83	form developed in accordance with Section 56.543(c).
84	84	(b) A person is not eligible to receive a scholarship under
85	85	the program if the person has been convicted of a felony or an
86	86	offense under Chapter 481, Health and Safety Code (Texas Controlled
87	87	Substances Act), or under the law of another jurisdiction involving
88	88	a controlled substance as defined by Chapter 481, Health and Safety
89	89	Code, unless the person has met the other applicable eligibility
90	90	requirements under the program and has:
91	91	(1) received a certificate of discharge by the Texas
92	92	Department of Criminal Justice or a correctional facility or
93	93	completed a period of probation ordered by a court, and at least two
94	94	years have elapsed from the date of the receipt or completion; or
95	95	(2) been pardoned, had the record of the offense
96	96	expunged from the person's record, or otherwise been released from
97	97	the resulting ineligibility to receive a scholarship under the
98	98	program.
99	99	(c) A person is not eligible to receive a scholarship under
100	100	the program if the person has completed more than the following
101	101	number of semester credit hours or the equivalent at an institution
102	102	of higher education, excluding semester credit hours or the
103	103	equivalent earned for a dual credit course:
104	104	(1) 90 semester credit hours or the equivalent, if the
105	105	person is enrolled in a degree or certificate program of two years
106	106	or less; or
107	107	(2) 135 semester credit hours or the equivalent, if
108	108	the person is enrolled in a degree or certificate program of more
109	109	than two years.
110	110	(d) A person may not receive a scholarship under the program
111	111	for more than:
112	112	(1) 75 semester credit hours or the equivalent, if the
113	113	person is enrolled in a degree or certificate program of two years
114	114	or less; or
115	115	(2) 150 semester credit hours or the equivalent, if
116	116	the person is enrolled in a degree or certificate program of more
117	117	than two years.
118	118	(e) A person's eligibility for a scholarship under the
119	119	program ends on:
120	120	(1) the fourth anniversary of the initial award of a
121	121	scholarship under the program to the person, if the person is
122	122	enrolled in a degree or certificate program of two years or less;
123	123	(2) the sixth anniversary of the initial award of a
124	124	scholarship under the program to the person, if the person is
125	125	enrolled in a degree or certificate program of more than two years
126	126	but not more than four years; or
127	127	(3) the eighth anniversary of the initial award of a
128	128	scholarship under the program to the person, if the person is
129	129	enrolled in a degree or certificate program of more than four years.
130	130	Sec. 56.545. CONTINUING ELIGIBILITY AND ACADEMIC
131	131	PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS. (a) After initially qualifying for a
132	132	scholarship under the program, a person may continue to receive a
133	133	scholarship under the program during each semester or term in which
134	134	the person is enrolled at an institution of higher education only if
135	135	the person:
136	136	(1) is enrolled in an associate or baccalaureate
137	137	degree or certificate program at an institution of higher
138	138	education;
139	139	(2) is enrolled for at least one-quarter of a full
140	140	course load for a student in an associate or baccalaureate degree or
141	141	certificate program, as determined by the coordinating board;
142	142	(3) makes satisfactory academic progress toward an
143	143	associate or baccalaureate degree or certificate; and
144	144	(4) complies with any additional nonacademic or
145	145	nonfinancial requirement adopted by the coordinating board.
146	146	(b) A person is not eligible to continue to receive a
147	147	scholarship under this section if the person has been convicted of a
148	148	felony or an offense under Chapter 481, Health and Safety Code
149	149	(Texas Controlled Substances Act), or under the law of another
150	150	jurisdiction involving a controlled substance as defined by Chapter
151	151	481, Health and Safety Code, unless the person has met the other
152	152	applicable eligibility requirements under this subchapter and has:
153	153	(1) received a certificate of discharge by the Texas
154	154	Department of Criminal Justice or a correctional facility or
155	155	completed a period of probation ordered by a court, and at least two
156	156	years have elapsed from the date of the receipt or completion; or
157	157	(2) been pardoned, had the record of the offense
158	158	expunged from the person's record, or otherwise been released from
159	159	the resulting ineligibility to receive a scholarship under the
160	160	program.
161	161	(c) If a person fails to meet any of the requirements of
162	162	Subsection (a) after the completion of any semester or term, the
163	163	person may not receive a scholarship under the program during the
164	164	next semester or term in which the person enrolls. A person may
165	165	become eligible to receive a scholarship under the program in a
166	166	subsequent semester or term if the person:
167	167	(1) completes a semester or term during which the
168	168	person is not eligible for a scholarship; and
169	169	(2) meets all the requirements of Subsection (a).
170	170	(d) For the purpose of this section, a person makes
171	171	satisfactory academic progress toward an associate or
172	172	baccalaureate degree or certificate only if:
173	173	(1) in the person's first academic year, the person
174	174	meets the satisfactory academic progress requirements of the
175	175	institution at which the person is enrolled; and
176	176	(2) in the subsequent academic year, the person
177	177	completes at least 25 percent of the semester credit hours or the
178	178	equivalent attempted in the person's most recent academic year.
179	179	(e) A person who is eligible to receive a scholarship under
180	180	the program continues to remain eligible to receive the scholarship
181	181	if the person enrolls in or transfers to another institution of
182	182	higher education.
183	183	(f) The coordinating board shall adopt rules to allow a
184	184	person who is otherwise eligible to receive a scholarship under the
185	185	program, in the event of a hardship or for other good cause shown,
186	186	including a showing of a severe illness or other debilitating
187	187	condition that may affect the person's academic performance or a
188	188	showing that the person is responsible for the care of a sick,
189	189	injured, or needy person and that the person's provision of care may
190	190	affect the person's academic performance, to receive a scholarship
191	191	under the program:
192	192	(1) while enrolled in a number of semester credit
193	193	hours that is less than the number of semester credit hours or the
194	194	equivalent required under Subsection (a)(2); or
195	195	(2) if the person's completion rate falls below the
196	196	satisfactory academic progress requirements of Subsection (d).
197	197	Sec. 56.546. SCHOLARSHIP USE. A scholarship awarded under
198	198	the program must be applied first to the payment of tuition and
199	199	mandatory fees at an institution of higher education.
200	200	Sec. 56.547. SCHOLARSHIP AMOUNT. (a) The amount of a
201	201	scholarship awarded to an eligible student under the program for a
202	202	semester or other academic term in which the student is enrolled at
203	203	an institution of higher education is an amount determined by the
204	204	coordinating board under Subsection (b) based on the amount of
205	205	funds available for distribution and the number of eligible
206	206	applicants.
207	207	(b) The coordinating board shall adopt rules and procedures
208	208	for determining the amount of the scholarship for each academic
209	209	year or during an academic year as necessary to respond to
210	210	fluctuations in the amount of funds available for distribution.
211	211	(c) The coordinating board may adopt rules that allow the
212	212	coordinating board to decrease, in proportion to the number of
213	213	semester credit hours or the equivalent in which a student is
214	214	enrolled, the amount of a scholarship award to a student who is
215	215	enrolled in less than a full course load for a student in an
216	216	associate or baccalaureate degree or certificate program, as
217	217	determined by the coordinating board.
218	218	(d) The coordinating board shall issue to each eligible
219	219	student a certificate indicating the amount of the scholarship
220	220	awarded to the student.
221	221	Sec. 56.548. NOTIFICATION OF PROGRAM; RESPONSIBILITIES OF
222	222	SCHOOL DISTRICTS. (a) The coordinating board, in consultation
223	223	with all institutions of higher education, shall prepare materials
224	224	designed to inform prospective students, their parents, and high
225	225	school counselors about the program and eligibility for a
226	226	scholarship under the program. The coordinating board shall
227	227	distribute to each institution of higher education and to each
228	228	school district a copy of the materials prepared under this
229	229	section.
230	230	(b) Each school district shall notify its high school
231	231	students, those students' teachers and school counselors, and those
232	232	students' parents or guardians of the program and the eligibility
233	233	requirements of the program.
234	234	SECTION 2. (a) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating
235	235	Board shall adopt rules to administer Subchapter U, Chapter 56,
236	236	Education Code, as added by this Act, as soon as practicable after
237	237	the effective date of this Act.
238	238	(b) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall
239	239	begin awarding scholarships under Subchapter U, Chapter 56,
240	240	Education Code, as added by this Act, for the first academic year
241	241	for which money is appropriated for that purpose, except that the
242	242	coordinating board may not award scholarships under that subchapter
243	243	for an academic year before the 2026-2027 academic year.
244	244	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
245	245	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
246	246	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
247	247	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
248	248	Act takes effect September 1, 2025.