By McReynolds                                   H.B. No. 3014

      75R8403 CAG-F                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to tuition and fee exemptions for certain classroom

 1-3     teachers enrolled in education-related courses at a public

 1-4     institution of higher education.

 1-5           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-6           SECTION 1.  Subchapter D, Chapter 54, Education Code, is

 1-7     amended by adding Section 54.218 to read as follows:

 1-8           Sec. 54.218.  CLASSROOM TEACHERS.  (a)  The governing board

 1-9     of each institution of higher education shall exempt a person who

1-10     is a resident of this state and an eligible classroom teacher from

1-11     the payment of tuition and required fees for education-related

1-12     courses when the person is enrolled as a student at the

1-13     institution.  The exemption does not apply to a required fee that

1-14     is charged in the same amount to every student registered for a

1-15     semester without regard to the number of credit hours for which a

1-16     student is registered.

1-17           (b)  To be eligible for an exemption from the payment of

1-18     tuition and required fees under this section, a person must, at the

1-19     beginning of the semester or other equivalent academic session for

1-20     which an exemption is sought:

1-21                 (1)  be employed as a classroom teacher in this state;

1-22     or

1-23                 (2)  have contracted to work as a classroom teacher in

1-24     this state during all or part of that semester or session or, if

 2-1     the person is enrolled for a summer semester or session, have

 2-2     contracted to work as a classroom teacher in this state during the

 2-3     next school year.

 2-4           (c)  The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall

 2-5     adopt:

 2-6                 (1)  rules governing the granting or denial of an

 2-7     exemption under this section, including rules relating to the

 2-8     determination of eligibility for an exemption; and

 2-9                 (2)  a uniform application form for an exemption under

2-10     this section.

2-11           (d)  An appropriation made to an institution of higher

2-12     education in any biennium should be adjusted to take into

2-13     consideration any tuition or fees exempted in the preceding

2-14     biennium under this section.

2-15           (e)  In this section:

2-16                 (1)  "Classroom teacher" has the meaning assigned by

2-17     Section 5.001(2).

2-18                 (2)  "Education-related course" means a course offered

2-19     by an institution's department or college of education or offered

2-20     by an institution in a subject area in which the classroom teacher

2-21     is certified or is seeking certification as an educator.

2-22           SECTION 2.  (a)  Except as provided by Subsection (b), this

2-23     Act takes effect beginning with the fall semester in 1998.

2-24           (b)  The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall

2-25     adopt rules or forms relating to the exemption of classroom

2-26     teachers under Section 54.218, Education Code, as added by this

2-27     Act, not later than January 1, 1998.

 3-1           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

 3-2     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

 3-3     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

 3-4     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 3-5     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

 3-6     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

 3-7     passage, and it is so enacted.