HBA-GUM H.B. 3162 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 3162 By: Glaze Higher Education 3/31/1999 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Current law does not provide tuition and fee grants to students at public junior colleges and public institutions. Total enrollment at community colleges and technical colleges has significantly increased in recent years, and the retention rate for students attending a four-year university is higher among those who first attended a community or technical college. College graduation rates for lowincome students are lower than their higher-income counterparts. H.B. 3162 provides tuition and fee grants to students at public junior colleges and public institutions who meet certain academic requirements. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that rulemaking authority is expressly delegated to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in SECTION 1 (Section 56.357, Education Code) of this bill. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Chapter 56, Education Code, by adding Subchapter N, as follows: SUBCHAPTER N. TEXAS COMMUNITY AND TECHNICAL COLLEGE SCHOLARS PROGRAM Sec. 56.351. DEFINITIONS. Defines "coordinating board," "public junior college" and "public technical institute." Sec. 56.352. PROGRAM NAME; PURPOSE. Provides that the student financial assistance program under this subchapter is known as the Texas Community and Technical College Scholars Program (program), and establishes that the purpose of the program is to provide financial aid to students who meet the requirements established within this subchapter. Sec. 56.353. ELIGILBILTY FOR GRANT. (a) Provides that a person must meet certain specified conditions to be eligible for a grant under the program. (b) Prohibits a person from receiving a grant if the person has been granted a baccalaureate degree. (c) Prohibits a person from receiving a grant under this subchapter for more than 90 semester credit hours or the equivalent. Sec. 56.354. ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE REQUIREMENTS. (a) Requires a person receiving a grant under this subchapter, in the person's first semester, or term to have graduated from high school with a cumulative grade point average equal to or greater than 78 on scale of 100. (b) Requires a person, in order to receive a grant in a subsequent semester or term, to have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 on a four-point scale or the equivalent for all courses attempted at the applicable schools and maintain satisfactory progress in the person's degree or certificate program as determined by the coordinating board. (c) Prohibits issuance of a grant to a person failing to meet the requirements of Subsection (b) after the completion of any semester or term during the next semester or term in which the person is enrolled at an applicable school. Provides that the person may be eligible for a grant in a subsequent semester or term if the person completes a semester or term during which the student is not eligible and satisfies the requirements of Subsection (b) during that semester. Sec. 56.355. ADMINISTRATIVE AUTHORITY. Requires the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (board) to provide a grant to each eligible person who first enrolls in a public junior college or public technical institute after the 1998-1999 academic year. Prohibits the total amount of grants awarded from exceeding the amount available in the community and technical college scholars trust fund. Requires the board, if there are insufficient funds available in the trust fund, to award the grants to the eligible persons with the greatest financial need. Requires each public junior college or public technical institute to assist the coordinating board in administering the program. Sec. 56.356. PAYMENT AND AMOUNT OF GRANT. (a) Requires the board, on receipt of a person's grant application and a certification of the person's amount of financial need from the applicable school at which the person is enrolled, to determine whether the person is eligible for a grant. Requires the board to distribute the selected person's grants to the institution or directly to the person as determined by the board. (b) Provides that the amount of a grant for a student enrolled full-time at a public junior college is the amount determined by the board as the average statewide amount of tuition and required fees that a resident student enrolled full-time in an applicable degree program would be charged for that semester or term at public junior colleges. (c) Provides that the amount of a grant for a student enrolled full-time at a public technical institute is the amount determined by the board as the average statewide amount of tuition and required fees that a resident student enrolled full-time in an applicable degree program would be charged for that semester or term at public technical institutes. (d) Provides that the amount of a grant for a student enrolled part-time at an applicable school is equal to the pro rata share of the average statewide amount of tuition and required fees, as determined by the board under this section, that is applicable to the type of institution at which the person is enrolled. (e) Prohibits the amount of a grant from being reduced by any gift aid for which the person is eligible, unless the total amount of financial aid received exceeds the total cost of the attendance at the institution. (f) Requires the board to publish, not later than January 1 of each year, the amounts of each grant established by the board for each type of institution for the next academic year. Sec. 56.357. ADOPTION AND DISTRIBUTION OF RULES. Requires the board to adopt rules relating to the administration of this subchapter and distribute copies of the rules adopted to public junior colleges, public technical institutes, and school districts. Sec. 56.358. FUNDING. (a) Provides that the program is funded from the community and technical college scholars trust fund and that the trust is with the comptroller. Requires the board as trustee on behalf of the eligible students under this subchapter to administer the trust fund. Authorizes money in the trust fund to be spent without appropriation and only to fund the program. Requires interest and income from the assets of the trust fund to be credited to and deposited in the trust fund. (b) Authorizes the board to solicit and accept gifts and grants from public or private sources for the purposes of this subchapter. (c) Authorizes the legislature to appropriate money to the community and technical college scholars trust fund. SECTION 2. (a) Effective date: September 1, 1999. (b) Requires the board to award grants under the program beginning with the 2000 fall semester. SECTION 3. Emergency clause.