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House Bill 2154 |
House Author: Edwards |
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Effective: 9-1-09 |
Senate Sponsor: Hinojosa et al. |
House Bill 2154 amends provisions of the Education Code relating to the physician education loan repayment program. The bill changes the eligibility requirements for a physician seeking to receive loan repayment assistance, decreases the number of years for which a physician is allowed to receive assistance, adds an option for repayment to be made in a lump sum directly to the lender or other holder of the loan, and sets the maximum amount of repayment for each of the four years and the total maximum amount for an individual physician. The bill creates the physician education loan repayment program account in the general revenue fund and prohibits the total amount of repayment assistance from exceeding the amount available in the account.
House Bill 2154 amends the Tax Code to set the tax rate on a tobacco product other than a cigar at a rate per ounce rather than a percentage of the manufacturer's list price. The bill provides for an incremental increase of three cents per ounce for a can or package of a tobacco product other than cigars in each state fiscal year beginning September 1, 2009, and ending September 1, 2012. The respective tax rate for each fiscal year expires on December 1 of the following year until the rate is set at $1.22 per ounce. The bill provides for the computation of the tax rate based on a product's net weight as listed by the manufacturer and requires the net weight to be included in the reports and records required to be submitted or retained by tobacco distributors, wholesalers, and manufacturers.