| 1 | 1 | | 89R2098 JTZ-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Hughes S.B. No. 2097 |
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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 certain peace officers. |
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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 54.3531, Education Code, is amended by |
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| 13 | 13 | | amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (a-1) to read as |
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| 14 | 14 | | follows: |
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| 15 | 15 | | (a) The governing board of an institution of higher |
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| 16 | 16 | | education shall exempt from the payment of tuition and laboratory |
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| 17 | 17 | | fees charged by the institution for a [criminal justice or law |
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| 18 | 18 | | enforcement] course or courses a [an undergraduate] student who: |
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| 19 | 19 | | (1) is employed as a peace officer by this state or by |
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| 20 | 20 | | a political subdivision of this state; |
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| 21 | 21 | | (2) is enrolled in a [criminal justice or] law |
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| 22 | 22 | | enforcement-related degree program at the institution; |
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| 23 | 23 | | (3) is making satisfactory academic progress toward |
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| 24 | 24 | | the student's degree as determined by the institution; and |
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| 25 | 25 | | (4) applies for the exemption at least one week before |
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| 26 | 26 | | the last date of the institution's regular registration period for |
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| 27 | 27 | | the applicable semester or other term. |
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| 28 | 28 | | (a-1) For purposes of Subsection (a)(2), a law |
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| 29 | 29 | | enforcement-related degree program includes a program in: |
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| 30 | 30 | | (1) criminal justice; |
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| 31 | 31 | | (2) political science, public administration, and |
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| 32 | 32 | | public affairs; |
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| 33 | 33 | | (3) emergency management; |
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| 34 | 34 | | (4) youth and community studies; |
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| 35 | 35 | | (5) law; |
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| 36 | 36 | | (6) Spanish or any other foreign language commonly |
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| 37 | 37 | | spoken in this state; |
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| 38 | 38 | | (7) business administration and accounting, including |
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| 39 | 39 | | forensic accounting; |
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| 40 | 40 | | (8) psychology; |
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| 41 | 41 | | (9) social work, including clinical social work; |
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| 42 | 42 | | (10) nursing; |
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| 43 | 43 | | (11) chemistry; |
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| 44 | 44 | | (12) biology; |
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| 45 | 45 | | (13) forensic science; or |
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| 46 | 46 | | (14) computer science, data science, and |
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| 47 | 47 | | cybersecurity. |
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| 48 | 48 | | SECTION 2. Section 54.3531, Education Code, as amended by |
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| 49 | 49 | | this Act, applies beginning with tuition and other fees charged for |
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| 50 | 50 | | the 2025 fall semester. Tuition and other fees charged for an |
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| 51 | 51 | | academic period before that semester are governed by the law in |
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| 52 | 52 | | effect immediately before the effective date of this Act, and the |
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| 53 | 53 | | former law is continued in effect for that purpose. |
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| 54 | 54 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 55 | 55 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 56 | 56 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 57 | 57 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 58 | 58 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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