By Sibley, et al. S.B. No. 576 75R5272 CAG-D A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to the establishment of the Texas new horizons scholarship 1-3 fund to exempt worthy high school graduates from tuition and fees 1-4 at public institutions 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 54.216 to read as follows: 1-8 Sec. 54.216. TEXAS NEW HORIZONS SCHOLARSHIP FUND. (a) The 1-9 Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall issue scholarships, 1-10 in a number to be determined by the coordinating board after 1-11 reviewing the total amount of money available to the Texas new 1-12 horizons scholarship fund, to qualified high school graduates. A 1-13 scholarship may be used by the recipient to attend any institution 1-14 of higher education and exempts the recipient from the payment of 1-15 tuition and required fees during the recipient's undergraduate 1-16 enrollment at the institution. 1-17 (b) The coordinating board shall adopt rules as necessary 1-18 for the administration of this section, including rules relating to 1-19 the establishment of the scholarships, the criteria for awarding a 1-20 scholarship, and the determination of eligibility. 1-21 (c) The criteria for awarding a scholarship must be based on 1-22 the following factors: 1-23 (1) the socioeconomic background of the student, 1-24 including the percentage by which the student's family is below any 2-1 recognized measure of poverty; 2-2 (2) whether the student's parents have received 2-3 baccalaureate degrees; 2-4 (3) whether the wealth per student of the school 2-5 district the student attended was below the average wealth per 2-6 student of school districts as determined in Chapter 41; 2-7 (4) whether the student has demonstrated 2-8 responsibility in the student's work in school, with the student's 2-9 family, and within the student's community, including whether the 2-10 student has been employed while in high school or whether the 2-11 student has performed substantial child-care duties or has helped 2-12 to raise children; 2-13 (5) whether the student is a resident of an urban area 2-14 or a rural area for which recognized socioeconomic indicators are 2-15 lower than is average for similar areas; 2-16 (6) the student's performance on standardized tests; 2-17 and 2-18 (7) the student's performance on standardized tests in 2-19 comparison with that of other students from similar socioeconomic 2-20 backgrounds. 2-21 (d) Not later than one year before the date applications for 2-22 scholarships are first considered under this section for each 2-23 academic year, the coordinating board shall publish the criteria 2-24 and a description of the weight given to each factor and the role 2-25 each factor plays in the decision to award scholarships that year. 2-26 (e) The coordinating board shall award the scholarships from 2-27 the amount available in the Texas new horizons scholarship fund. 3-1 The fund consists of amounts appropriated to the fund, including 3-2 gifts or grants to the fund. The coordinating board may accept 3-3 gifts, grants, or donations from any person for the purposes of 3-4 this section. 3-5 SECTION 2. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b) of this 3-6 section, this Act takes effect September 1, 1997. 3-7 (b) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall 3-8 adopt the criteria for awarding scholarships under Section 54.216, 3-9 Education Code, as added by this Act, not later than December 1, 3-10 1997. The board shall use those criteria in awarding any 3-11 scholarships awarded before September 1, 1998. 3-12 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 3-13 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 3-14 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 3-15 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 3-16 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.