| |
| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to the Rural Veterinarian Incentive Program. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Section 56.101(2), Education Code, is amended to |
|
|
read as follows: |
|
|
(2) "College" means a college of veterinary medicine |
|
|
[located in this state and] accredited by the American Veterinary |
|
|
Medical Association Council on Education. |
|
|
SECTION 2. Section 56.104, Education Code, is amended to |
|
|
read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 56.104. ELIGIBLE VETERINARY STUDENT OR GRADUATE. A |
|
|
[(a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), a] person is eligible to |
|
|
participate in the program only if the person: |
|
|
(1) is enrolled as a student of a [the] college or |
|
|
applies to participate in the program on or before the fourth |
|
|
anniversary of the date the person graduates from a [the] college; |
|
|
(2) will receive or has received from a student loan at |
|
|
least 50 percent of the funds for tuition and fees for one or more |
|
|
academic years while enrolled in the college; and |
|
|
(3) meets any additional qualifications adopted by the |
|
|
committee. |
|
|
[(b) A person enrolled as a student in an accredited college |
|
|
of veterinary medicine located outside of this state may apply |
|
|
under Subsection (a) to participate in the program if the student |
|
|
graduated from a high school located in this state or a general |
|
|
academic teaching institution located in this state.] |
|
|
SECTION 3. Section 56.105(b), Education Code, is amended to |
|
|
read as follows: |
|
|
(b) To participate as a sponsor in the program, the |
|
|
community or political subdivision must enter into an agreement |
|
|
with the eligible participant to provide financial support to the |
|
|
eligible participant in an amount not less than the tuition and fees |
|
|
required for a full academic year for a student enrolled in a [the] |
|
|
college in exchange for the eligible participant's agreement to |
|
|
practice veterinary medicine in the sponsoring community or |
|
|
political subdivision. |
|
|
SECTION 4. Sections 56.106(a) and (b), Education Code, are |
|
|
amended to read as follows: |
|
|
(a) To participate in the program, an eligible participant |
|
|
must enter into an agreement with the Texas Higher Education |
|
|
Coordinating Board [university system] that: |
|
|
(1) requires the participant to practice veterinary |
|
|
medicine in a rural county for one calendar year for each academic |
|
|
year for which the participant receives financial support under the |
|
|
program; |
|
|
(2) specifies the conditions the participant must |
|
|
satisfy to receive financial support under the program; |
|
|
(3) provides that any financial support the |
|
|
participant receives under the program constitutes a loan until the |
|
|
participant satisfies the conditions of the agreement; and |
|
|
(4) requires the participant to sign a promissory note |
|
|
acknowledging the conditional nature of the financial support |
|
|
received under the program and promising to repay the amount of the |
|
|
financial support, any applicable interest, and reasonable |
|
|
collection costs if the participant does not satisfy the conditions |
|
|
of the agreement. |
|
|
(b) The financial support received by an eligible |
|
|
participant under this subchapter must be used to retire student |
|
|
loan debt or to pay tuition and fees to a college [the university |
|
|
system] while the eligible participant is enrolled in the college. |
|
|
SECTION 5. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
|
|
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
|
|
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
|
|
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
|
|
Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |