By Rangel                                       H.B. No. 3473

      75R4079 JSA-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to scholarships, grants, and other financial aid to and

 1-3     recruitment of students at institutions of higher education.

 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-5           SECTION 1.  The legislature reaffirms and ratifies the

 1-6     validity and enforceability of all laws enacted by the legislature

 1-7     that authorize an institution of higher education or other state

 1-8     agency or officer granting student loans, grants, scholarships, or

 1-9     other financial aid to students of institutions of higher education

1-10     to give due consideration to the race or ethnicity of applicants.

1-11     Without compromising or negating the effect of the original

1-12     enactment of those laws, it is the intent of the legislature that

1-13     this section have the same force and effect as a reenactment of the

1-14     statutes so reaffirmed and ratified.  This section applies to:

1-15                 (1)  Section 54.212, Education Code, as added by

1-16     Chapter 451, Acts of the 74th Legislature, Regular Session, 1995

1-17     (tuition exemption for Texas National Guard/ROTC students);

1-18                 (2)  Subchapter F, Chapter 56, Education Code (Texas

1-19     educational opportunity grant program);

1-20                 (3)  Subchapter I, Chapter 56, Education Code (Texas

1-21     Department of Transportation conditional grant program);

1-22                 (4)  Subchapter J, Chapter 56, Education Code (minority

1-23     doctoral incentive program);

1-24                 (5)  Subchapter L, Chapter 61, Education Code

 2-1     (financial aid for nursing students and loan repayment program for

 2-2     nurses); and

 2-3                 (6)  Subchapter N, Chapter 61, Education Code

 2-4     (scholarships for fifth-year accounting students).

 2-5           SECTION 2.  The legislature reaffirms and ratifies the

 2-6     validity and enforceability of the following laws enacted by the

 2-7     legislature that authorize the recruitment of or funding for the

 2-8     recruitment of students into degree programs at institutions of

 2-9     higher education with due consideration of the race or ethnicity of

2-10     the persons being recruited. Without compromising or negating the

2-11     effect of the original enactment of these statutes, it is the

2-12     intent of the legislature that this section have the same force and

2-13     effect as a reenactment of the statutes so reaffirmed and ratified.

2-14     This section applies to:

2-15                 (1)  Subchapter M, Chapter 51, Education Code

2-16     (engineering and science recruitment fund);

2-17                 (2)  Subchapter Q, Chapter 51, Education Code (medical

2-18     and health care professions recruitment fund);

2-19                 (3)  Section 61.0591, Education Code (incentive and

2-20     special initiative funding); and

2-21                 (4)  Section 61.076, Education Code (cooperation

2-22     between state agencies of education).

2-23           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

2-24     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-25     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-26     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-27     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

 3-1     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

 3-2     passage, and it is so enacted.