By Truan S.B. No. 565 75R2348 CAG-F A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to exempting members of the Texas National Guard from 1-3 tuition charged by an institution of higher education. 1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-5 SECTION 1. Subchapter D, Chapter 54, Education Code, is 1-6 amended by adding Section 54.2151 to read as follows: 1-7 Sec. 54.2151. NATIONAL GUARD EXEMPTION. (a) The governing 1-8 board of each institution of higher education shall exempt an 1-9 eligible member of the Texas National Guard from the payment of all 1-10 tuition. 1-11 (b) To be eligible for an exemption under this section, a 1-12 person must: 1-13 (1) have resided in this state for the 12 months 1-14 immediately preceding the beginning of the semester or session for 1-15 which an exemption is sought; 1-16 (2) be a member of the Texas National Guard who has 1-17 attained the rank of E2-E8, WO1-CWO3, or O1-O4; 1-18 (3) maintain satisfactory performance as prescribed by 1-19 the adjutant general's department as a member in good standing of 1-20 the Texas National Guard for the entire semester or other academic 1-21 session for which an exemption is sought; and 1-22 (4) have enlisted or agreed to enlist for a period of 1-23 additional duty in the Texas National Guard as required under 1-24 Subsection (f). 2-1 (c) A person is not eligible for an exemption under this 2-2 section if the person has previously received an exemption under 2-3 this section for: 2-4 (1) 13 undergraduate semesters or other equivalent 2-5 academic sessions; or 2-6 (2) 12 graduate semesters or other equivalent academic 2-7 sessions. 2-8 (d) For purposes of Subsection (c), a summer term or other 2-9 academic session that is less than nine weeks in duration is 2-10 considered one-half of a regular semester or equivalent academic 2-11 session. 2-12 (e) A semester or other academic session in which the person 2-13 withdrew from or failed to complete the courses in which the person 2-14 was enrolled because the person was mobilized or called to active 2-15 duty in connection with the person's service as a member of the 2-16 Texas National Guard is not considered in determining the 2-17 eligibility of the person under Subsection (c) for an exemption. 2-18 (f) A person who receives an exemption under this section 2-19 must enlist or agree to enlist for a two-year period of additional 2-20 duty in the Texas National Guard from the date of the last day of 2-21 the semester or other session for which an exemption is received. 2-22 (g) In this section, "Texas National Guard" means the Texas 2-23 National Guard as defined and constituted under Chapter 431, 2-24 Government Code. 2-25 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect beginning with the fall 2-26 semester in 1997. 2-27 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 3-1 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 3-2 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 3-3 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 3-4 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended, 3-5 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its 3-6 passage, and it is so enacted.