BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 3790

By: Wilson

Higher Education

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

In 2001, the Joint Admission Medical Program (JAMP) was created by the Texas Legislature to assist talented students from low socioeconomic backgrounds in becoming physicians. JAMP scholars are highly qualified but economically disadvantaged Texas resident students, and the program works to provide them with financial support, through undergraduate scholarships and the mentoring needed for them to be successful. However, JAMP legislation currently leaves room for private institutions to withhold scholarships from students within the program due to a lack of clarity in the law's language. The majority of students attending private institutions that are contracted as a part of the program report that they are not receiving scholarships provisioned by the program. C.S.H.B. 3790 seeks to address this issue by clarifying that scholarship requirements apply to private and independent institutions of higher education that have entered into agreements to participate in the program.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 3790 amends the Education Code to specify that the scholarship that must be provided to a student by a private or independent institution of higher education that has entered an agreement with the Joint Admission Medical Program Council is in addition to any other scholarship money awarded to the student and to prohibit that scholarship amount from exceeding the amount of tuition and fees that the student is charged for attending the teaching institution.

C.S.H.B. 3790 applies to the provision of scholarships pursuant to a council agreement with a private or independent institution of higher education beginning with the 2023-2024 academic year.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2023.

COMPARISON OF INTRODUCED AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.H.B. 3790 may differ from the introduced in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.

While the introduced prohibited an applicable institution that did not provide the required scholarship to a student participating in the program from receiving state funding for tuition equalization grants or for any other student financial aid beginning with the academic year following a scholarship default and provided that this penalty was in addition to any penalties specified in the agreement, the substitute specifies that the scholarship that must be provided to a student by the institution is in addition to any other money awarded to the student and prohibits that scholarship amount from exceeding the amount of tuition and fees that the student is charged for attending the institution.