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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the establishment of the Texas Promise Grant Program |
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for Two-Year Programs and the Texas Promise Grant Program for |
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Four-Year Programs for certain students at public institutions of |
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higher education. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Chapter 56, Education Code, is amended by adding |
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Subchapter U to read as follows: |
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SUBCHAPTER U. TEXAS PROMISE GRANT PROGRAM FOR TWO-YEAR PROGRAMS |
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Sec. 56.601. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter: |
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(1) "Coordinating board" means the Texas Higher |
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Education Coordinating Board. |
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(2) "Eligible institution" means: |
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(A) a public junior college; |
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(B) a public technical institute; or |
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(C) a public state college. |
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(3) "Program" means the Texas Promise Grant Program |
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for Two-Year Programs established under this subchapter. |
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(4) "Public junior college," "public technical |
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institute," and "public state college" have the meanings assigned |
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by Section 61.003. |
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Sec. 56.602. PROGRAM PURPOSE. The purpose of the Texas |
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Promise Grant Program for Two-Year Programs is to provide |
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assistance in the payment of tuition and mandatory fees to enable |
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eligible students to complete associate degree and certificate |
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programs at two-year institutions of higher education. |
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Sec. 56.603. ADMINISTRATION OF PROGRAM; AWARD OF GRANT. |
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(a) The coordinating board shall administer the program and adopt |
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any rules necessary to implement the program or this subchapter. |
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The coordinating board shall consult with the student financial aid |
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officers of eligible institutions in developing the rules. |
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(b) The coordinating board shall award a grant to each |
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eligible student under the program. |
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Sec. 56.604. INITIAL ELIGIBILITY FOR GRANT. (a) To be |
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eligible initially for a grant under the program, a person must: |
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(1) be a resident of this state as determined by |
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coordinating board rules; |
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(2) have graduated from high school or received a high |
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school equivalency certificate within the last three years; |
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(3) be enrolled in an associate degree or certificate |
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program at an eligible institution; |
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(4) be enrolled as an entering student for at least |
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one-half of a full course load for an entering student in the |
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associate degree or certificate program, as determined by the |
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coordinating board; |
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(5) have applied for any available financial aid or |
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assistance; and |
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(6) comply with any additional nonacademic or |
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nonfinancial requirement adopted by the coordinating board under |
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this subchapter. |
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(b) A person is not eligible to receive a grant under the |
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program if the person has been convicted of a felony or an offense |
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|
under Chapter 481, Health and Safety Code (Texas Controlled |
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|
Substances Act), or under the law of another jurisdiction involving |
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|
a controlled substance as defined by Chapter 481, Health and Safety |
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|
Code, unless the person has met the other applicable eligibility |
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|
requirements under the program and has: |
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(1) received a certificate of discharge by the Texas |
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|
Department of Criminal Justice or a correctional facility or |
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|
completed a period of probation ordered by a court, and at least two |
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|
years have elapsed from the date of the receipt or completion; or |
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(2) been pardoned, had the record of the offense |
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|
expunged from the person's record, or otherwise been released from |
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|
the resulting ineligibility to receive a grant under the program. |
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(c) A person is not eligible to receive a grant under the |
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program if the person has: |
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(1) been granted: |
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(A) a certificate for completion of a certificate |
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program; or |
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(B) an associate or baccalaureate degree; or |
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(2) completed more than 90 semester credit hours or |
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the equivalent at an institution of higher education, excluding |
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semester credit hours or the equivalent earned for a dual credit |
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course. |
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(d) A person may not receive a grant under the program for |
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more than 75 semester credit hours or the equivalent. |
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(e) A person's eligibility for a grant under the program |
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ends on the third anniversary of the initial award of a grant under |
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the program to the person and the person's enrollment in an eligible |
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institution. |
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Sec. 56.605. CONTINUING ELIGIBILITY AND ACADEMIC |
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PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS. (a) After initially qualifying for a |
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grant under the program, a person may continue to receive a grant |
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|
under the program during each semester or term in which the person |
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|
is enrolled at an eligible institution only if the person: |
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(1) is enrolled in an associate degree or certificate |
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|
program at an eligible institution; |
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(2) is enrolled for at least one-half of a full course |
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load for a student in an associate degree or certificate program, as |
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determined by the coordinating board; |
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(3) makes satisfactory academic progress toward an |
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associate degree or certificate; and |
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(4) complies with any additional nonacademic or |
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|
nonfinancial requirement adopted by the coordinating board. |
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(b) A person is not eligible to continue to receive a grant |
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|
under this section if the person has been convicted of a felony or |
|
|
an offense under Chapter 481, Health and Safety Code (Texas |
|
|
Controlled Substances Act), or under the law of another |
|
|
jurisdiction involving a controlled substance as defined by Chapter |
|
|
481, Health and Safety Code, unless the person has met the other |
|
|
applicable eligibility requirements under this subchapter and has: |
|
|
(1) received a certificate of discharge by the Texas |
|
|
Department of Criminal Justice or a correctional facility or |
|
|
completed a period of probation ordered by a court, and at least two |
|
|
years have elapsed from the date of the receipt or completion; or |
|
|
(2) been pardoned, had the record of the offense |
|
|
expunged from the person's record, or otherwise been released from |
|
|
the resulting ineligibility to receive a grant under the program. |
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(c) If a person fails to meet any of the requirements of |
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Subsection (a) after the completion of any semester or term, the |
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person may not receive a grant under the program during the next |
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|
semester or term in which the person enrolls. A person may become |
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|
eligible to receive a grant under the program in a subsequent |
|
|
semester or term if the person: |
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(1) completes a semester or term during which the |
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student is not eligible for a grant; and |
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(2) meets all the requirements of Subsection (a). |
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(d) For the purpose of this section, a person makes |
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|
satisfactory academic progress toward an associate degree or |
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|
certificate only if: |
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(1) in the person's first academic year, the person |
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meets the satisfactory academic progress requirements of the |
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|
institution at which the person is enrolled; and |
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(2) in the subsequent academic year, the person: |
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(A) completes at least 75 percent of the semester |
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|
credit hours or the equivalent attempted in the person's most |
|
|
recent academic year; and |
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(B) has earned an overall grade point average of |
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|
at least 2.5 on a four-point scale or the equivalent on coursework |
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|
previously attempted at institutions of higher education. |
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(e) A person who is eligible to receive a grant under the |
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program continues to remain eligible to receive the grant if the |
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person enrolls in or transfers to another eligible institution. |
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(f) The coordinating board shall adopt rules to allow a |
|
|
person who is otherwise eligible to receive a grant under the |
|
|
program, in the event of a hardship or for other good cause shown, |
|
|
including a showing of a severe illness or other debilitating |
|
|
condition that may affect the person's academic performance or a |
|
|
showing that the person is responsible for the care of a sick, |
|
|
injured, or needy person and that the person's provision of care may |
|
|
affect the person's academic performance, to receive a grant under |
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the program: |
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(1) while enrolled in a number of semester credit |
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hours that is less than the number of semester credit hours or the |
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equivalent required under Subsection (a)(2); or |
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(2) if the person's grade point average or completion |
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rate falls below the satisfactory academic progress requirements of |
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Subsection (d). |
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Sec. 56.606. GRANT USE. A grant awarded under the program |
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must be applied first to the payment of tuition and mandatory fees |
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at an eligible institution. |
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Sec. 56.607. GRANT AMOUNT. (a) The amount of a grant |
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|
awarded to an eligible student under the program for a semester or |
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other academic term in which the student is enrolled at an eligible |
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|
institution is an amount not to exceed the greater of: |
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(1) the difference between the amount of tuition and |
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|
mandatory fees charged to the student by the institution for that |
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|
semester or term and the amount of any other gift aid, including |
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|
state or federal grants or scholarships, awarded to the student for |
|
|
that semester or term; or |
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(2) $1,000. |
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(b) The coordinating board may adopt rules that allow the |
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|
coordinating board to decrease, in proportion to the number of |
|
|
semester credit hours or the equivalent in which a student is |
|
|
enrolled, the amount of a grant award under Subsection (a)(2) to a |
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|
student who is enrolled in less than a full course load for a |
|
|
student in an associate degree or certificate program, as |
|
|
determined by the coordinating board. |
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(c) A grant may not be awarded under the program to an |
|
|
eligible student for a semester or other academic term until any |
|
|
other gift aid for which the student is eligible has been awarded to |
|
|
the student and the amount of tuition and mandatory fees owed by the |
|
|
student has been established for purposes of determining the |
|
|
appropriate amount of the student's grant under Subsection (a). |
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(d) The coordinating board shall issue to each eligible |
|
|
student a certificate indicating the amount of the grant awarded to |
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|
the student. |
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Sec. 56.608. NOTIFICATION OF PROGRAM; RESPONSIBILITIES OF |
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SCHOOL DISTRICTS. (a) The coordinating board, in consultation |
|
|
with all eligible institutions, shall prepare materials designed to |
|
|
inform prospective students, their parents, and high school |
|
|
counselors about the program and eligibility for a grant under the |
|
|
program. The coordinating board shall distribute to each eligible |
|
|
institution and to each school district a copy of the materials |
|
|
prepared under this section. |
|
|
(b) Each school district shall notify its high school |
|
|
students, those students' teachers and school counselors, and those |
|
|
students' parents or guardians of the program and the eligibility |
|
|
requirements of the program. |
|
|
SECTION 2. Chapter 56, Education Code, is amended by adding |
|
|
Subchapter V to read as follows: |
|
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SUBCHAPTER V. TEXAS PROMISE GRANT PROGRAM FOR FOUR-YEAR PROGRAMS |
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Sec. 56.651. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter: |
|
|
(1) "Coordinating board" means the Texas Higher |
|
|
Education Coordinating Board. |
|
|
(2) "Program" means the Texas Promise Grant Program |
|
|
for Four-Year Programs established under this subchapter. |
|
|
Sec. 56.652. PROGRAM PURPOSE. The purpose of the Texas |
|
|
Promise Grant Program for Four-Year Programs is to provide |
|
|
assistance in the payment of tuition and mandatory fees to enable |
|
|
eligible students to complete baccalaureate degree programs at |
|
|
institutions of higher education. |
|
|
Sec. 56.653. ADMINISTRATION OF PROGRAM; AWARD OF GRANT. |
|
|
(a) The coordinating board shall administer the program and adopt |
|
|
any rules necessary to implement the program or this subchapter. |
|
|
The coordinating board shall consult with the student financial aid |
|
|
officers of institutions of higher education in developing the |
|
|
rules. |
|
|
(b) The coordinating board shall award a grant to each |
|
|
eligible student under the program. |
|
|
Sec. 56.654. INITIAL ELIGIBILITY FOR GRANT. (a) To be |
|
|
eligible initially for a grant under the program, a person must: |
|
|
(1) be a resident of this state as determined by |
|
|
coordinating board rules; |
|
|
(2) have an annual household income of less than |
|
|
$150,000; |
|
|
(3) have graduated from high school or received a high |
|
|
school equivalency certificate within the last three years; |
|
|
(4) be enrolled in a baccalaureate degree program at |
|
|
an institution of higher education; |
|
|
(5) be enrolled as an entering student for at least |
|
|
one-half of a full course load for an entering student in the |
|
|
baccalaureate degree program, as determined by the coordinating |
|
|
board; |
|
|
(6) have applied for any available financial aid or |
|
|
assistance; and |
|
|
(7) comply with any additional nonacademic or |
|
|
nonfinancial requirement adopted by the coordinating board under |
|
|
this subchapter. |
|
|
(b) A person is not eligible to receive a grant under the |
|
|
program if the person has been convicted of a felony or an offense |
|
|
under Chapter 481, Health and Safety Code (Texas Controlled |
|
|
Substances Act), or under the law of another jurisdiction involving |
|
|
a controlled substance as defined by Chapter 481, Health and Safety |
|
|
Code, unless the person has met the other applicable eligibility |
|
|
requirements under the program and has: |
|
|
(1) received a certificate of discharge by the Texas |
|
|
Department of Criminal Justice or a correctional facility or |
|
|
completed a period of probation ordered by a court, and at least two |
|
|
years have elapsed from the date of the receipt or completion; or |
|
|
(2) been pardoned, had the record of the offense |
|
|
expunged from the person's record, or otherwise been released from |
|
|
the resulting ineligibility to receive a grant under the program. |
|
|
(c) A person is not eligible to receive a grant under the |
|
|
program if the person has: |
|
|
(1) been granted a baccalaureate degree; or |
|
|
(2) completed more than 135 semester credit hours or |
|
|
the equivalent at an institution of higher education, excluding |
|
|
semester credit hours or the equivalent earned for a dual credit |
|
|
course. |
|
|
(d) A person may not receive a grant under the program for |
|
|
more than 150 semester credit hours or the equivalent. |
|
|
(e) A person's eligibility for a grant under the program |
|
|
ends on: |
|
|
(1) the fifth anniversary of the initial award of a |
|
|
grant under the program to the person, if the person is enrolled in |
|
|
a baccalaureate degree program of four years or less; or |
|
|
(2) the sixth anniversary of the initial award of a |
|
|
grant under the program to the person, if the person is enrolled in |
|
|
a baccalaureate degree program of more than four years. |
|
|
Sec. 56.655. CONTINUING ELIGIBILITY AND ACADEMIC |
|
|
PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS. (a) After initially qualifying for a |
|
|
grant under the program, a person may continue to receive a grant |
|
|
under the program during each semester or term in which the person |
|
|
is enrolled at an institution of higher education only if the |
|
|
person: |
|
|
(1) is enrolled in a baccalaureate degree program at |
|
|
an institution of higher education; |
|
|
(2) has an annual household income of less than |
|
|
$150,000; |
|
|
(3) is enrolled for at least one-half of a full course |
|
|
load for a student in the baccalaureate degree program, as |
|
|
determined by the coordinating board; |
|
|
(4) makes satisfactory academic progress toward the |
|
|
baccalaureate degree; and |
|
|
(5) complies with any additional nonacademic or |
|
|
nonfinancial requirement adopted by the coordinating board. |
|
|
(b) A person is not eligible to continue to receive a grant |
|
|
under this section if the person has been convicted of a felony or |
|
|
an offense under Chapter 481, Health and Safety Code (Texas |
|
|
Controlled Substances Act), or under the law of another |
|
|
jurisdiction involving a controlled substance as defined by Chapter |
|
|
481, Health and Safety Code, unless the person has met the other |
|
|
applicable eligibility requirements under this subchapter and has: |
|
|
(1) received a certificate of discharge by the Texas |
|
|
Department of Criminal Justice or a correctional facility or |
|
|
completed a period of probation ordered by a court, and at least two |
|
|
years have elapsed from the date of the receipt or completion; or |
|
|
(2) been pardoned, had the record of the offense |
|
|
expunged from the person's record, or otherwise been released from |
|
|
the resulting ineligibility to receive a grant under the program. |
|
|
(c) If a person fails to meet any of the requirements of |
|
|
Subsection (a) after the completion of any semester or term, the |
|
|
person may not receive a grant under the program during the next |
|
|
semester or term in which the person enrolls. A person may become |
|
|
eligible to receive a grant under the program in a subsequent |
|
|
semester or term if the person: |
|
|
(1) completes a semester or term during which the |
|
|
person is not eligible for a grant; and |
|
|
(2) meets all the requirements of Subsection (a). |
|
|
(d) For the purpose of this section, a person makes |
|
|
satisfactory academic progress toward a baccalaureate degree only |
|
|
if: |
|
|
(1) in the person's first academic year, the person |
|
|
meets the satisfactory academic progress requirements of the |
|
|
institution at which the person is enrolled; and |
|
|
(2) in the subsequent academic year, the person: |
|
|
(A) completes at least 75 percent of the semester |
|
|
credit hours or the equivalent attempted in the person's most |
|
|
recent academic year; and |
|
|
(B) has earned an overall grade point average of |
|
|
at least 2.5 on a four-point scale or the equivalent on coursework |
|
|
previously attempted at institutions of higher education. |
|
|
(e) A person who is eligible to receive a grant under the |
|
|
program continues to remain eligible to receive the grant if the |
|
|
person enrolls in or transfers to another institution of higher |
|
|
education. |
|
|
(f) The coordinating board shall adopt rules to allow a |
|
|
person who is otherwise eligible to receive a grant under the |
|
|
program, in the event of a hardship or for other good cause shown, |
|
|
including a showing of a severe illness or other debilitating |
|
|
condition that may affect the person's academic performance or a |
|
|
showing that the person is responsible for the care of a sick, |
|
|
injured, or needy person and that the person's provision of care may |
|
|
affect the person's academic performance, to receive a grant under |
|
|
the program: |
|
|
(1) while enrolled in a number of semester credit |
|
|
hours that is less than the number of semester credit hours or the |
|
|
equivalent required under Subsection (a)(3); or |
|
|
(2) if the person's grade point average or completion |
|
|
rate falls below the satisfactory academic progress requirements of |
|
|
Subsection (d). |
|
|
Sec. 56.656. GRANT USE. A grant awarded under the program |
|
|
must be applied first to the payment of tuition and mandatory fees |
|
|
at an institution of higher education. |
|
|
Sec. 56.657. GRANT AMOUNT. (a) The amount of a grant |
|
|
awarded to an eligible student under the program for a semester or |
|
|
other academic term in which the student is enrolled at an |
|
|
institution of higher education is: |
|
|
(1) for a student whose annual household income is |
|
|
less than $100,000, an amount not to exceed the greater of: |
|
|
(A) the difference between the amount of tuition |
|
|
and mandatory fees charged to the student by the institution for |
|
|
that semester or term and the amount of any other gift aid, |
|
|
including state or federal grants or scholarships, awarded to the |
|
|
student for that semester or term; or |
|
|
(B) $1,000; or |
|
|
(2) for a student whose annual household income is |
|
|
$100,000 or more, an amount not to exceed the product of: |
|
|
(A) the difference between the amount of tuition |
|
|
and mandatory fees charged to the student by the institution for |
|
|
that semester or term and the amount of any other gift aid, |
|
|
including state or federal grants or scholarships, awarded to the |
|
|
student for that semester or term; and |
|
|
(B) the quotient of: |
|
|
(i) the difference between the maximum |
|
|
annual household income for which a student may be eligible for a |
|
|
grant under the program and the student's annual household income; |
|
|
and |
|
|
(ii) 50,000. |
|
|
(b) The coordinating board may adopt rules that allow the |
|
|
coordinating board to decrease, in proportion to the number of |
|
|
semester credit hours or the equivalent in which a student is |
|
|
enrolled, the amount of a grant award under Subsection (a)(1)(B) to |
|
|
a student who is enrolled in less than a full course load for a |
|
|
student in a baccalaureate degree program, as determined by the |
|
|
coordinating board. |
|
|
(c) A grant may not be awarded under the program to an |
|
|
eligible student for a semester or other academic term until any |
|
|
other gift aid for which the student is eligible has been awarded to |
|
|
the student and the amount of tuition and mandatory fees owed by the |
|
|
student has been established for purposes of determining the |
|
|
appropriate amount of the student's grant under Subsection (a). |
|
|
(d) The coordinating board shall issue to each eligible |
|
|
student a certificate indicating the amount of the grant awarded to |
|
|
the student. |
|
|
Sec. 56.658. NOTIFICATION OF PROGRAM; RESPONSIBILITIES OF |
|
|
SCHOOL DISTRICTS. (a) The coordinating board, in consultation |
|
|
with all institutions of higher education, shall prepare materials |
|
|
designed to inform prospective students, their parents, and high |
|
|
school counselors about the program and eligibility for a grant |
|
|
under the program. The coordinating board shall distribute to each |
|
|
institution of higher education and to each school district a copy |
|
|
of the materials prepared under this section. |
|
|
(b) Each school district shall notify its high school |
|
|
students, those students' teachers and school counselors, and those |
|
|
students' parents or guardians of the program and the eligibility |
|
|
requirements of the program. |
|
|
SECTION 3. (a) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating |
|
|
Board shall adopt rules to administer Subchapters U and V, Chapter |
|
|
56, Education Code, as added by this Act, as soon as practicable |
|
|
after the effective date of this Act. For those purposes, the |
|
|
coordinating board may adopt the initial rules in the manner |
|
|
provided by law for emergency rules. |
|
|
(b) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall |
|
|
begin awarding grants under Subchapters U and V, Chapter 56, |
|
|
Education Code, as added by this Act, for the first academic year |
|
|
for which money is appropriated for those purposes, except that the |
|
|
coordinating board may not award grants under those subchapters for |
|
|
an academic year before the 2026-2027 academic year. |
|
|
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
|
|
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |