1-1     By:  Moncrief                                         S.B. No. 1311

 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed March 12, 1997; March 18, 1997, read

 1-3     first time and referred to Committee on Finance; April 21, 1997,

 1-4     reported adversely, with favorable Committee Substitute by the

 1-5     following vote:  Yeas 11, Nays 0; April 21, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6     COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 1311                By:  Moncrief

 1-7                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-8                                   AN ACT

 1-9     relating to providing scholarships to students at institutions of

1-10     higher education for certain out-of-state internship programs.

1-11           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-12           SECTION 1.  Chapter 56, Education Code, is amended by adding

1-13     Subchapter L to read as follows:

1-14                SUBCHAPTER L.  TEXAS-WASHINGTON, D.C., INTERN

1-15                             SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

1-16           Sec. 56.221.  PROGRAM NAME.  The student financial assistance

1-17     program authorized by this subchapter is known as the

1-18     Texas-Washington, D.C., Intern Scholarship Program, and a grant

1-19     awarded under this subchapter is known as a Texas-Washington, D.C.,

1-20     Intern Grant.

1-21           Sec. 56.222.  PURPOSE.  The purpose of this subchapter is to

1-22     provide a grant of money to enable a qualified person enrolled in

1-23     an institution of higher education to participate in a Washington,

1-24     D.C., internship program.

1-25           Sec. 56.223.  DEFINITIONS.  In this subchapter:

1-26                 (1)  "Coordinating board" means the Texas Higher

1-27     Education Coordinating Board.

1-28                 (2)  "Grant" means a Texas-Washington, D.C., Intern

1-29     Grant awarded under this subchapter.

1-30           Sec. 56.224.  ELIGIBLE PERSON.  (a)  To be eligible for a

1-31     grant, a person must:

1-32                 (1)  be a Texas resident as defined by coordinating

1-33     board rules;

1-34                 (2)  enroll for a full course load in an approved

1-35     institution of higher education as determined by coordinating board

1-36     rules;

1-37                 (3)  be from a low-income or middle-income family and

1-38     establish financial need as defined by coordinating board rules;

1-39                 (4)  have applied for any available financial

1-40     assistance; and

1-41                 (5)  have complied with any other administrative

1-42     requirements adopted by the coordinating board under this

1-43     subchapter.

1-44           (b)  A person is not eligible to receive a grant if the

1-45     person has been convicted of a felony, a crime involving moral

1-46     turpitude, or an offense under Chapter 481, Health and Safety Code,

1-47     or under the law of any other jurisdiction involving a controlled

1-48     substance as defined by Chapter 481, Health and Safety Code, unless

1-49     the person has met the other applicable eligibility requirements

1-50     under this subchapter and has:

1-51                 (1)  received a certificate of discharge by the Texas

1-52     Department of Criminal Justice or the applicable correctional

1-53     facility or completed a period of probation ordered by a court and

1-54     at least two years have elapsed from the date of the receipt or

1-55     completion; or

1-56                 (2)  been pardoned, had the record of the offense

1-57     expunged from the person's record, or otherwise been released from

1-58     the resulting ineligibility to participate in the scholarship

1-59     program.

1-60           Sec. 56.225.  ADMINISTRATIVE AUTHORITY.  For each academic

1-61     year, the coordinating board shall provide not more than 100 grants

1-62     to be awarded by approved institutions to eligible students. The

1-63     coordinating board shall allocate the grants available to approved

1-64     institutions in proportion to the total enrollment of each

 2-1     institution in the preceding academic year.  The total amount of

 2-2     grants distributed by the coordinating board may not exceed the

 2-3     amount available for the Texas-Washington, D.C., Intern Scholarship

 2-4     Program from appropriations, gifts and grants, or other funds.

 2-5           Sec. 56.226.  STANDARDS; AWARD OF GRANT.  (a)  The

 2-6     coordinating board shall prescribe standards for the awarding of

 2-7     grants by approved institutions based on financial need and other

 2-8     appropriate factors.

 2-9           (b)  Each approved institution shall award the grants

2-10     allocated to the institution according to the standards and

2-11     applicable procedures prescribed by the coordinating board.

2-12           Sec. 56.227.  PAYMENT OF GRANT; AMOUNT.  On receipt of a copy

2-13     of a student's grant application and certification from the

2-14     applicable institution that the student has been awarded a grant,

2-15     the coordinating board shall distribute the amount of the grant to

2-16     the institution for disbursement to the student.  The amount of a

2-17     grant may not exceed the lesser of the student's documented

2-18     financial need or $2,000.

2-19           Sec. 56.228.  ADOPTION AND DISTRIBUTION OF RULES.  (a)  The

2-20     coordinating board shall adopt rules to administer this subchapter.

2-21           (b)  The coordinating board shall distribute to each

2-22     institution of higher education copies of all rules adopted under

2-23     this subchapter.

2-24           Sec. 56.229.  FUNDING.  (a)  The coordinating board may

2-25     accept gifts and grants from any public or private source for the

2-26     purposes of this subchapter.

2-27           (b)  Texas-Washington, D.C., Intern Grants are payable from

2-28     gifts, grants, and funds appropriated by the legislature.

2-29           SECTION 2.  (a)  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

2-30           (b)  The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall make

2-31     grants under the Texas-Washington, D.C., Intern Scholarship Program

2-32     beginning when the coordinating board determines sufficient funds

2-33     are available to provide a reasonable number of grants, but not

2-34     earlier than the 1998 spring semester.

2-35           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

2-36     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-37     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-38     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-39     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.

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