AN ACT 1-1 relating to providing scholarships to students at institutions of 1-2 higher education for certain out-of-state intern programs. 1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-4 SECTION 1. Chapter 56, Education Code, is amended by adding 1-5 Subchapter L to read as follows: 1-6 SUBCHAPTER L. TEXAS-WASHINGTON, D.C., INTERN 1-7 SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM 1-8 Sec. 56.221. PROGRAM NAME. The student financial assistance 1-9 program authorized by this subchapter is known as the 1-10 Texas-Washington, D.C., Intern Scholarship Program, and a grant 1-11 awarded under this subchapter is known as a Texas-Washington, D.C., 1-12 Intern Grant. 1-13 Sec. 56.222. PURPOSE. The purpose of this subchapter is to 1-14 provide a grant of money to enable a qualified person enrolled in 1-15 an institution of higher education to participate in a Washington, 1-16 D.C., internship program. 1-17 Sec. 56.223. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter: 1-18 (1) "Coordinating board" means the Texas Higher 1-19 Education Coordinating Board. 1-20 (2) "Grant" means a Texas-Washington, D.C., Intern 1-21 Grant awarded under this subchapter. 1-22 (3) "Institution of higher education" means: 1-23 (A) an institution of higher education as 2-1 defined by Section 61.003; or 2-2 (B) a private or independent institution of 2-3 higher education as defined by Section 61.003. 2-4 Sec. 56.224. ELIGIBLE PERSON. (a) To be eligible for a 2-5 grant, a person must: 2-6 (1) be a Texas resident as defined by coordinating 2-7 board rules; 2-8 (2) enroll for a full course load in an approved 2-9 institution of higher education as determined by coordinating board 2-10 rules; 2-11 (3) be from a low-income or middle-income family and 2-12 establish financial need as defined by coordinating board rules; 2-13 (4) have applied for any available financial 2-14 assistance; and 2-15 (5) have complied with any other administrative 2-16 requirements adopted by the coordinating board under this 2-17 subchapter. 2-18 (b) A person is not eligible to receive a grant if the 2-19 person has been convicted of a felony, a crime involving moral 2-20 turpitude, or an offense under Chapter 481, Health and Safety Code, 2-21 or under the law of any other jurisdiction involving a controlled 2-22 substance as defined by Chapter 481, Health and Safety Code, unless 2-23 the person has met the other applicable eligibility requirements 2-24 under this subchapter and has: 2-25 (1) received a certificate of discharge by the Texas 3-1 Department of Criminal Justice or the applicable correctional 3-2 facility or completed a period of probation ordered by a court and 3-3 at least two years have elapsed from the date of the receipt or 3-4 completion; or 3-5 (2) been pardoned, had the record of the offense 3-6 expunged from the person's record, or otherwise been released from 3-7 the resulting ineligibility to participate in the scholarship 3-8 program. 3-9 Sec. 56.225. ADMINISTRATIVE AUTHORITY. For each academic 3-10 year, the coordinating board shall provide grants in a number 3-11 determined by the board, considering available funding for the 3-12 year, to be awarded by approved institutions to eligible students. 3-13 The coordinating board shall allocate the grants available to 3-14 approved institutions in proportion to the total enrollment of each 3-15 institution in the preceding academic year. The total amount of 3-16 grants distributed by the coordinating board may not exceed the 3-17 amount available for the Texas-Washington, D.C., Intern Scholarship 3-18 Program from appropriations, gifts and grants, or other funds. 3-19 Sec. 56.226. STANDARDS; AWARD OF GRANT. (a) The 3-20 coordinating board shall prescribe standards and procedures for the 3-21 awarding of grants by approved institutions. 3-22 (b) The standards must require an internship to meet at 3-23 least the following standards to qualify for inclusion in the 3-24 program: 3-25 (1) the internship must involve service with a public, 4-1 private, or nonprofit agency in the District of Columbia or 4-2 immediate vicinity and have some relationship to an activity of the 4-3 federal government; 4-4 (2) the internship must require the student's 4-5 attendance or participation at least four days a week; 4-6 (3) the internship must include substantive 4-7 professional work, entry-level or above, providing the student with 4-8 practical experience and consisting of not more than 20 percent 4-9 clerical work; and 4-10 (4) the placement process for the internship must be 4-11 designed to ensure an appropriate placement for each student. 4-12 (c) The standards for selection of students to receive 4-13 grants must include at least the following factors: 4-14 (1) the socioeconomic background of the applicant, 4-15 including the percentage by which the applicant's family is above 4-16 or below any recognized measure of poverty, the applicant's 4-17 household income, and the applicant's parents' level of education; 4-18 (2) the extent to which the applicant has been 4-19 responsible for financing the applicant's own education; 4-20 (3) whether the applicant is the first generation of 4-21 the applicant's family to attend an institution of higher 4-22 education; 4-23 (4) the applicant's responsibilities while attending 4-24 school, including whether the applicant has been employed, whether 4-25 the applicant is a parent or has helped to raise children, or other 5-1 similar factors; 5-2 (5) the region of the state in which the applicant 5-3 resides or resided during high school; 5-4 (6) whether the applicant is or during high school was 5-5 a resident of a rural or urban area or of a central city or 5-6 suburban area; 5-7 (7) the applicant's leadership, employment history, 5-8 and involvement in community activities; 5-9 (8) the applicant's personal statement of the purpose 5-10 of the applicant's proposed internship and the role that internship 5-11 would have on the applicant's education and personal and 5-12 professional development; 5-13 (9) letters of recommendation supporting the 5-14 applicant's application for an internship; and 5-15 (10) the applicant's personal interview. 5-16 (d) Each approved institution shall award the grants 5-17 allocated to the institution according to the standards and 5-18 applicable procedures prescribed by the coordinating board. 5-19 Sec. 56.227. PAYMENT OF GRANT; AMOUNT. On receipt of a copy 5-20 of a student's grant application and certification from the 5-21 applicable institution that the student has been awarded a grant, 5-22 the coordinating board shall distribute the amount of the grant to 5-23 the institution for disbursement to the student. The amount of a 5-24 grant may not exceed the lesser of the student's documented 5-25 financial need or $2,000. 6-1 Sec. 56.228. TUITION WAIVER; ADMINISTRATIVE FEE. (a) If 6-2 the recipient of a grant registers in a public or private 6-3 institution of higher education other than the institution awarding 6-4 the grant in order to complete the student's Washington, D.C., 6-5 internship for credit at the institution awarding the grant, the 6-6 institution awarding the grant shall exempt the student from the 6-7 payment of tuition and required fees for the semester or term 6-8 during which the student is enrolled in the other institution. 6-9 (b) The institution may charge a student who is exempt from 6-10 the payment of tuition and fees under this section an 6-11 administrative fee to cover the costs of administering the 6-12 internship. 6-13 Sec. 56.229. ADOPTION AND DISTRIBUTION OF RULES. (a) The 6-14 coordinating board shall adopt rules to administer this subchapter. 6-15 (b) The coordinating board shall distribute to each 6-16 institution of higher education copies of all rules adopted under 6-17 this subchapter. 6-18 Sec. 56.230. FUNDING. (a) The coordinating board may 6-19 accept gifts and grants from any public or private source for the 6-20 purposes of this subchapter. 6-21 (b) Texas-Washington, D.C., Intern Grants are payable only 6-22 from gifts, grants, and funds appropriated by the legislature. 6-23 SECTION 2. (a) This Act takes effect September 1, 1999. 6-24 (b) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall make 6-25 grants under the Texas-Washington, D.C., Intern Scholarship Program 7-1 beginning when the coordinating board determines sufficient funds 7-2 are available to provide a reasonable number of grants, but not 7-3 earlier than the 2000 spring semester. 7-4 (c) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board may not 7-5 approve a private or independent institution of higher education to 7-6 participate in the Texas-Washington, D.C., Intern Scholarship 7-7 Program for an academic year before the third academic year after 7-8 the academic year in which the coordinating board begins making 7-9 grants as provided by Subsection (b) of this section. 7-10 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 7-11 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 7-12 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 7-13 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 7-14 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended. S.B. No. 1311 ________________________________ ________________________________ President of the Senate Speaker of the House I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1311 passed the Senate on April 28, 1997, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0; May 27, 1997, Senate refused to concur in House amendment and requested appointment of Conference Committee; May 29, 1997, House granted request of the Senate; May 31, 1997, Senate adopted Conference Committee Report by a viva-voce vote. _______________________________ Secretary of the Senate I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1311 passed the House, with amendment, on May 23, 1997, by a non-record vote; May 29, 1997, House granted request of the Senate for appointment of Conference Committee; June 1, 1997, House adopted Conference Committee Report by a non-record vote. _______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House Approved: ________________________________ Date ________________________________ Governor