Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB43 Compare Versions

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1	1	89R305 KJE-D
2	2	By: Zaffirini S.B. No. 43
3	3
4	4
5	5
6	6
7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to the establishment of the Texas Promise Grant Program
10	10	for Two-Year Programs and the Texas Promise Grant Program for
11	11	Four-Year Programs for certain students at public institutions of
12	12	higher education.
13	13	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
14	14	SECTION 1. Chapter 56, Education Code, is amended by adding
15	15	Subchapter U to read as follows:
16	16	SUBCHAPTER U. TEXAS PROMISE GRANT PROGRAM FOR TWO-YEAR PROGRAMS
17	17	Sec. 56.601. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
18	18	(1) "Coordinating board" means the Texas Higher
19	19	Education Coordinating Board.
20	20	(2) "Eligible institution" means:
21	21	(A) a public junior college;
22	22	(B) a public technical institute; or
23	23	(C) a public state college.
24	24	(3) "Program" means the Texas Promise Grant Program
25	25	for Two-Year Programs established under this subchapter.
26	26	(4) "Public junior college," "public technical
27	27	institute," and "public state college" have the meanings assigned
28	28	by Section 61.003.
29	29	Sec. 56.602. PROGRAM PURPOSE. The purpose of the Texas
30	30	Promise Grant Program for Two-Year Programs is to provide
31	31	assistance in the payment of tuition and mandatory fees to enable
32	32	eligible students to complete associate degree and certificate
33	33	programs at two-year institutions of higher education.
34	34	Sec. 56.603. ADMINISTRATION OF PROGRAM; AWARD OF GRANT.
35	35	(a) The coordinating board shall administer the program and adopt
36	36	any rules necessary to implement the program or this subchapter.
37	37	The coordinating board shall consult with the student financial aid
38	38	officers of eligible institutions in developing the rules.
39	39	(b) The coordinating board shall award a grant to each
40	40	eligible student under the program.
41	41	Sec. 56.604. INITIAL ELIGIBILITY FOR GRANT. (a) To be
42	42	eligible initially for a grant under the program, a person must:
43	43	(1) be a resident of this state as determined by
44	44	coordinating board rules;
45	45	(2) have graduated from high school or received a high
46	46	school equivalency certificate within the last three years;
47	47	(3) be enrolled in an associate degree or certificate
48	48	program at an eligible institution;
49	49	(4) be enrolled as an entering student for at least
50	50	one-half of a full course load for an entering student in the
51	51	associate degree or certificate program, as determined by the
52	52	coordinating board;
53	53	(5) have applied for any available financial aid or
54	54	assistance; and
55	55	(6) comply with any additional nonacademic or
56	56	nonfinancial requirement adopted by the coordinating board under
57	57	this subchapter.
58	58	(b) A person is not eligible to receive a grant under the
59	59	program if the person has been convicted of a felony or an offense
60	60	under Chapter 481, Health and Safety Code (Texas Controlled
61	61	Substances Act), or under the law of another jurisdiction involving
62	62	a controlled substance as defined by Chapter 481, Health and Safety
63	63	Code, unless the person has met the other applicable eligibility
64	64	requirements under the program and has:
65	65	(1) received a certificate of discharge by the Texas
66	66	Department of Criminal Justice or a correctional facility or
67	67	completed a period of probation ordered by a court, and at least two
68	68	years have elapsed from the date of the receipt or completion; or
69	69	(2) been pardoned, had the record of the offense
70	70	expunged from the person's record, or otherwise been released from
71	71	the resulting ineligibility to receive a grant under the program.
72	72	(c) A person is not eligible to receive a grant under the
73	73	program if the person has:
74	74	(1) been granted:
75	75	(A) a certificate for completion of a certificate
76	76	program; or
77	77	(B) an associate or baccalaureate degree; or
78	78	(2) completed more than 90 semester credit hours or
79	79	the equivalent at an institution of higher education, excluding
80	80	semester credit hours or the equivalent earned for a dual credit
81	81	course.
82	82	(d) A person may not receive a grant under the program for
83	83	more than 75 semester credit hours or the equivalent.
84	84	(e) A person's eligibility for a grant under the program
85	85	ends on the third anniversary of the initial award of a grant under
86	86	the program to the person and the person's enrollment in an eligible
87	87	institution.
88	88	Sec. 56.605. CONTINUING ELIGIBILITY AND ACADEMIC
89	89	PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS. (a) After initially qualifying for a
90	90	grant under the program, a person may continue to receive a grant
91	91	under the program during each semester or term in which the person
92	92	is enrolled at an eligible institution only if the person:
93	93	(1) is enrolled in an associate degree or certificate
94	94	program at an eligible institution;
95	95	(2) is enrolled for at least one-half of a full course
96	96	load for a student in an associate degree or certificate program, as
97	97	determined by the coordinating board;
98	98	(3) makes satisfactory academic progress toward an
99	99	associate degree or certificate; and
100	100	(4) complies with any additional nonacademic or
101	101	nonfinancial requirement adopted by the coordinating board.
102	102	(b) A person is not eligible to continue to receive a grant
103	103	under this section if the person has been convicted of a felony or
104	104	an offense under Chapter 481, Health and Safety Code (Texas
105	105	Controlled Substances Act), or under the law of another
106	106	jurisdiction involving a controlled substance as defined by Chapter
107	107	481, Health and Safety Code, unless the person has met the other
108	108	applicable eligibility requirements under this subchapter and has:
109	109	(1) received a certificate of discharge by the Texas
110	110	Department of Criminal Justice or a correctional facility or
111	111	completed a period of probation ordered by a court, and at least two
112	112	years have elapsed from the date of the receipt or completion; or
113	113	(2) been pardoned, had the record of the offense
114	114	expunged from the person's record, or otherwise been released from
115	115	the resulting ineligibility to receive a grant under the program.
116	116	(c) If a person fails to meet any of the requirements of
117	117	Subsection (a) after the completion of any semester or term, the
118	118	person may not receive a grant under the program during the next
119	119	semester or term in which the person enrolls. A person may become
120	120	eligible to receive a grant under the program in a subsequent
121	121	semester or term if the person:
122	122	(1) completes a semester or term during which the
123	123	student is not eligible for a grant; and
124	124	(2) meets all the requirements of Subsection (a).
125	125	(d) For the purpose of this section, a person makes
126	126	satisfactory academic progress toward an associate degree or
127	127	certificate only if:
128	128	(1) in the person's first academic year, the person
129	129	meets the satisfactory academic progress requirements of the
130	130	institution at which the person is enrolled; and
131	131	(2) in the subsequent academic year, the person:
132	132	(A) completes at least 75 percent of the semester
133	133	credit hours or the equivalent attempted in the person's most
134	134	recent academic year; and
135	135	(B) has earned an overall grade point average of
136	136	at least 2.5 on a four-point scale or the equivalent on coursework
137	137	previously attempted at institutions of higher education.
138	138	(e) A person who is eligible to receive a grant under the
139	139	program continues to remain eligible to receive the grant if the
140	140	person enrolls in or transfers to another eligible institution.
141	141	(f) The coordinating board shall adopt rules to allow a
142	142	person who is otherwise eligible to receive a grant under the
143	143	program, in the event of a hardship or for other good cause shown,
144	144	including a showing of a severe illness or other debilitating
145	145	condition that may affect the person's academic performance or a
146	146	showing that the person is responsible for the care of a sick,
147	147	injured, or needy person and that the person's provision of care may
148	148	affect the person's academic performance, to receive a grant under
149	149	the program:
150	150	(1) while enrolled in a number of semester credit
151	151	hours that is less than the number of semester credit hours or the
152	152	equivalent required under Subsection (a)(2); or
153	153	(2) if the person's grade point average or completion
154	154	rate falls below the satisfactory academic progress requirements of
155	155	Subsection (d).
156	156	Sec. 56.606. GRANT USE. A grant awarded under the program
157	157	must be applied first to the payment of tuition and mandatory fees
158	158	at an eligible institution.
159	159	Sec. 56.607. GRANT AMOUNT. (a) The amount of a grant
160	160	awarded to an eligible student under the program for a semester or
161	161	other academic term in which the student is enrolled at an eligible
162	162	institution is an amount not to exceed the greater of:
163	163	(1) the difference between the amount of tuition and
164	164	mandatory fees charged to the student by the institution for that
165	165	semester or term and the amount of any other gift aid, including
166	166	state or federal grants or scholarships, awarded to the student for
167	167	that semester or term; or
168	168	(2) $1,000.
169	169	(b) The coordinating board may adopt rules that allow the
170	170	coordinating board to decrease, in proportion to the number of
171	171	semester credit hours or the equivalent in which a student is
172	172	enrolled, the amount of a grant award under Subsection (a)(2) to a
173	173	student who is enrolled in less than a full course load for a
174	174	student in an associate degree or certificate program, as
175	175	determined by the coordinating board.
176	176	(c) A grant may not be awarded under the program to an
177	177	eligible student for a semester or other academic term until any
178	178	other gift aid for which the student is eligible has been awarded to
179	179	the student and the amount of tuition and mandatory fees owed by the
180	180	student has been established for purposes of determining the
181	181	appropriate amount of the student's grant under Subsection (a).
182	182	(d) The coordinating board shall issue to each eligible
183	183	student a certificate indicating the amount of the grant awarded to
184	184	the student.
185	185	Sec. 56.608. NOTIFICATION OF PROGRAM; RESPONSIBILITIES OF
186	186	SCHOOL DISTRICTS. (a) The coordinating board, in consultation
187	187	with all eligible institutions, shall prepare materials designed to
188	188	inform prospective students, their parents, and high school
189	189	counselors about the program and eligibility for a grant under the
190	190	program. The coordinating board shall distribute to each eligible
191	191	institution and to each school district a copy of the materials
192	192	prepared under this section.
193	193	(b) Each school district shall notify its high school
194	194	students, those students' teachers and school counselors, and those
195	195	students' parents or guardians of the program and the eligibility
196	196	requirements of the program.
197	197	SECTION 2. Chapter 56, Education Code, is amended by adding
198	198	Subchapter V to read as follows:
199	199	SUBCHAPTER V. TEXAS PROMISE GRANT PROGRAM FOR FOUR-YEAR PROGRAMS
200	200	Sec. 56.651. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
201	201	(1) "Coordinating board" means the Texas Higher
202	202	Education Coordinating Board.
203	203	(2) "Program" means the Texas Promise Grant Program
204	204	for Four-Year Programs established under this subchapter.
205	205	Sec. 56.652. PROGRAM PURPOSE. The purpose of the Texas
206	206	Promise Grant Program for Four-Year Programs is to provide
207	207	assistance in the payment of tuition and mandatory fees to enable
208	208	eligible students to complete baccalaureate degree programs at
209	209	institutions of higher education.
210	210	Sec. 56.653. ADMINISTRATION OF PROGRAM; AWARD OF GRANT.
211	211	(a) The coordinating board shall administer the program and adopt
212	212	any rules necessary to implement the program or this subchapter.
213	213	The coordinating board shall consult with the student financial aid
214	214	officers of institutions of higher education in developing the
215	215	rules.
216	216	(b) The coordinating board shall award a grant to each
217	217	eligible student under the program.
218	218	Sec. 56.654. INITIAL ELIGIBILITY FOR GRANT. (a) To be
219	219	eligible initially for a grant under the program, a person must:
220	220	(1) be a resident of this state as determined by
221	221	coordinating board rules;
222	222	(2) have an annual household income of less than
223	223	$150,000;
224	224	(3) have graduated from high school or received a high
225	225	school equivalency certificate within the last three years;
226	226	(4) be enrolled in a baccalaureate degree program at
227	227	an institution of higher education;
228	228	(5) be enrolled as an entering student for at least
229	229	one-half of a full course load for an entering student in the
230	230	baccalaureate degree program, as determined by the coordinating
231	231	board;
232	232	(6) have applied for any available financial aid or
233	233	assistance; and
234	234	(7) comply with any additional nonacademic or
235	235	nonfinancial requirement adopted by the coordinating board under
236	236	this subchapter.
237	237	(b) A person is not eligible to receive a grant under the
238	238	program if the person has been convicted of a felony or an offense
239	239	under Chapter 481, Health and Safety Code (Texas Controlled
240	240	Substances Act), or under the law of another jurisdiction involving
241	241	a controlled substance as defined by Chapter 481, Health and Safety
242	242	Code, unless the person has met the other applicable eligibility
243	243	requirements under the program and has:
244	244	(1) received a certificate of discharge by the Texas
245	245	Department of Criminal Justice or a correctional facility or
246	246	completed a period of probation ordered by a court, and at least two
247	247	years have elapsed from the date of the receipt or completion; or
248	248	(2) been pardoned, had the record of the offense
249	249	expunged from the person's record, or otherwise been released from
250	250	the resulting ineligibility to receive a grant under the program.
251	251	(c) A person is not eligible to receive a grant under the
252	252	program if the person has:
253	253	(1) been granted a baccalaureate degree; or
254	254	(2) completed more than 135 semester credit hours or
255	255	the equivalent at an institution of higher education, excluding
256	256	semester credit hours or the equivalent earned for a dual credit
257	257	course.
258	258	(d) A person may not receive a grant under the program for
259	259	more than 150 semester credit hours or the equivalent.
260	260	(e) A person's eligibility for a grant under the program
261	261	ends on:
262	262	(1) the fifth anniversary of the initial award of a
263	263	grant under the program to the person, if the person is enrolled in
264	264	a baccalaureate degree program of four years or less; or
265	265	(2) the sixth anniversary of the initial award of a
266	266	grant under the program to the person, if the person is enrolled in
267	267	a baccalaureate degree program of more than four years.
268	268	Sec. 56.655. CONTINUING ELIGIBILITY AND ACADEMIC
269	269	PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS. (a) After initially qualifying for a
270	270	grant under the program, a person may continue to receive a grant
271	271	under the program during each semester or term in which the person
272	272	is enrolled at an institution of higher education only if the
273	273	person:
274	274	(1) is enrolled in a baccalaureate degree program at
275	275	an institution of higher education;
276	276	(2) has an annual household income of less than
277	277	$150,000;
278	278	(3) is enrolled for at least one-half of a full course
279	279	load for a student in the baccalaureate degree program, as
280	280	determined by the coordinating board;
281	281	(4) makes satisfactory academic progress toward the
282	282	baccalaureate degree; and
283	283	(5) complies with any additional nonacademic or
284	284	nonfinancial requirement adopted by the coordinating board.
285	285	(b) A person is not eligible to continue to receive a grant
286	286	under this section if the person has been convicted of a felony or
287	287	an offense under Chapter 481, Health and Safety Code (Texas
288	288	Controlled Substances Act), or under the law of another
289	289	jurisdiction involving a controlled substance as defined by Chapter
290	290	481, Health and Safety Code, unless the person has met the other
291	291	applicable eligibility requirements under this subchapter and has:
292	292	(1) received a certificate of discharge by the Texas
293	293	Department of Criminal Justice or a correctional facility or
294	294	completed a period of probation ordered by a court, and at least two
295	295	years have elapsed from the date of the receipt or completion; or
296	296	(2) been pardoned, had the record of the offense
297	297	expunged from the person's record, or otherwise been released from
298	298	the resulting ineligibility to receive a grant under the program.
299	299	(c) If a person fails to meet any of the requirements of
300	300	Subsection (a) after the completion of any semester or term, the
301	301	person may not receive a grant under the program during the next
302	302	semester or term in which the person enrolls. A person may become
303	303	eligible to receive a grant under the program in a subsequent
304	304	semester or term if the person:
305	305	(1) completes a semester or term during which the
306	306	person is not eligible for a grant; and
307	307	(2) meets all the requirements of Subsection (a).
308	308	(d) For the purpose of this section, a person makes
309	309	satisfactory academic progress toward a baccalaureate degree only
310	310	if:
311	311	(1) in the person's first academic year, the person
312	312	meets the satisfactory academic progress requirements of the
313	313	institution at which the person is enrolled; and
314	314	(2) in the subsequent academic year, the person:
315	315	(A) completes at least 75 percent of the semester
316	316	credit hours or the equivalent attempted in the person's most
317	317	recent academic year; and
318	318	(B) has earned an overall grade point average of
319	319	at least 2.5 on a four-point scale or the equivalent on coursework
320	320	previously attempted at institutions of higher education.
321	321	(e) A person who is eligible to receive a grant under the
322	322	program continues to remain eligible to receive the grant if the
323	323	person enrolls in or transfers to another institution of higher
324	324	education.
325	325	(f) The coordinating board shall adopt rules to allow a
326	326	person who is otherwise eligible to receive a grant under the
327	327	program, in the event of a hardship or for other good cause shown,
328	328	including a showing of a severe illness or other debilitating
329	329	condition that may affect the person's academic performance or a
330	330	showing that the person is responsible for the care of a sick,
331	331	injured, or needy person and that the person's provision of care may
332	332	affect the person's academic performance, to receive a grant under
333	333	the program:
334	334	(1) while enrolled in a number of semester credit
335	335	hours that is less than the number of semester credit hours or the
336	336	equivalent required under Subsection (a)(3); or
337	337	(2) if the person's grade point average or completion
338	338	rate falls below the satisfactory academic progress requirements of
339	339	Subsection (d).
340	340	Sec. 56.656. GRANT USE. A grant awarded under the program
341	341	must be applied first to the payment of tuition and mandatory fees
342	342	at an institution of higher education.
343	343	Sec. 56.657. GRANT AMOUNT. (a) The amount of a grant
344	344	awarded to an eligible student under the program for a semester or
345	345	other academic term in which the student is enrolled at an
346	346	institution of higher education is:
347	347	(1) for a student whose annual household income is
348	348	less than $100,000, an amount not to exceed the greater of:
349	349	(A) the difference between the amount of tuition
350	350	and mandatory fees charged to the student by the institution for
351	351	that semester or term and the amount of any other gift aid,
352	352	including state or federal grants or scholarships, awarded to the
353	353	student for that semester or term; or
354	354	(B) $1,000; or
355	355	(2) for a student whose annual household income is
356	356	$100,000 or more, an amount not to exceed the product of:
357	357	(A) the difference between the amount of tuition
358	358	and mandatory fees charged to the student by the institution for
359	359	that semester or term and the amount of any other gift aid,
360	360	including state or federal grants or scholarships, awarded to the
361	361	student for that semester or term; and
362	362	(B) the quotient of:
363	363	(i) the difference between the maximum
364	364	annual household income for which a student may be eligible for a
365	365	grant under the program and the student's annual household income;
366	366	and
367	367	(ii) 50,000.
368	368	(b) The coordinating board may adopt rules that allow the
369	369	coordinating board to decrease, in proportion to the number of
370	370	semester credit hours or the equivalent in which a student is
371	371	enrolled, the amount of a grant award under Subsection (a)(1)(B) to
372	372	a student who is enrolled in less than a full course load for a
373	373	student in a baccalaureate degree program, as determined by the
374	374	coordinating board.
375	375	(c) A grant may not be awarded under the program to an
376	376	eligible student for a semester or other academic term until any
377	377	other gift aid for which the student is eligible has been awarded to
378	378	the student and the amount of tuition and mandatory fees owed by the
379	379	student has been established for purposes of determining the
380	380	appropriate amount of the student's grant under Subsection (a).
381	381	(d) The coordinating board shall issue to each eligible
382	382	student a certificate indicating the amount of the grant awarded to
383	383	the student.
384	384	Sec. 56.658. NOTIFICATION OF PROGRAM; RESPONSIBILITIES OF
385	385	SCHOOL DISTRICTS. (a) The coordinating board, in consultation
386	386	with all institutions of higher education, shall prepare materials
387	387	designed to inform prospective students, their parents, and high
388	388	school counselors about the program and eligibility for a grant
389	389	under the program. The coordinating board shall distribute to each
390	390	institution of higher education and to each school district a copy
391	391	of the materials prepared under this section.
392	392	(b) Each school district shall notify its high school
393	393	students, those students' teachers and school counselors, and those
394	394	students' parents or guardians of the program and the eligibility
395	395	requirements of the program.
396	396	SECTION 3. (a) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating
397	397	Board shall adopt rules to administer Subchapters U and V, Chapter
398	398	56, Education Code, as added by this Act, as soon as practicable
399	399	after the effective date of this Act. For those purposes, the
400	400	coordinating board may adopt the initial rules in the manner
401	401	provided by law for emergency rules.
402	402	(b) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall
403	403	begin awarding grants under Subchapters U and V, Chapter 56,
404	404	Education Code, as added by this Act, for the first academic year
405	405	for which money is appropriated for those purposes, except that the
406	406	coordinating board may not award grants under those subchapters for
407	407	an academic year before the 2026-2027 academic year.
408	408	SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
409	409	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
410	410	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
411	411	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
412	412	Act takes effect September 1, 2025.