1-1     By:  Ellis, et al.                                      S.B. No. 37
 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed November 9, 1998; January 26, 1999,
 1-3     read first time and referred to Committee on Education;
 1-4     March 23, 1999, reported adversely, with favorable Committee
 1-5     Substitute by the following vote:  Yeas 8, Nays 0; March 23, 1999,
 1-6     sent to printer.)
 1-7     COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 37                      By:  West
 1-8                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-9                                   AN ACT
1-10     relating to student financial aid, including the consolidation or
1-11     repeal of student aid, grant, and scholarship programs and the
1-12     creation of scholarship or grant programs to provide financial
1-13     assistance to students at institutions of higher education who meet
1-14     certain academic, citizenship, financial need, and other
1-15     requirements.
1-16           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-17           SECTION 1.  Chapter 56, Education Code, is amended by adding
1-18     Subchapter M to read as follows:
1-19           SUBCHAPTER M.  TEXAS HOPE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM AND TEACH
1-20                           FOR TEXAS GRANT PROGRAM
1-21           Sec. 56.301.  DEFINITIONS.  In this subchapter:
1-22                 (1)  "Coordinating board" means the Texas Higher
1-23     Education Coordinating Board.
1-24                 (2)  "Eligible institution" means:
1-25                       (A)  an institution of higher education; or
1-26                       (B)  a private or independent institution of
1-27     higher education.
1-28                 (3)  "Private or independent institution of higher
1-29     education," "public junior college," and "public technical
1-30     institute" have the meanings assigned by Section 61.003.
1-31           Sec. 56.302.  PROGRAM NAME; PURPOSE.  (a)  The student
1-32     financial assistance program authorized by this subchapter is known
1-33     as the Texas Hope Scholarship Program, and an individual
1-34     scholarship awarded under this subchapter is known as a Texas Hope
1-35     scholarship.
1-36           (b)  The purpose of this subchapter is to provide a grant of
1-37     money to enable qualified students to attend public and private
1-38     institutions of higher education in this state.
1-39           Sec. 56.303.  ADMINISTRATION OF PROGRAMS.  (a)  The
1-40     coordinating board shall administer the Texas Hope Scholarship
1-41     Program and the Teach for Texas Grant Program and shall adopt any
1-42     rules necessary to implement the programs or this subchapter.
1-43           (b)  The coordinating board shall adopt rules to provide a
1-44     Texas Hope scholarship to an eligible student enrolled in an
1-45     eligible institution of higher education in the most efficient
1-46     manner possible.
1-47           (c)  The total amount of Texas Hope scholarships awarded may
1-48     not exceed the amount available for the program from
1-49     appropriations, gifts, grants, or other funds.
1-50           (d)  In determining who should receive a Texas Hope
1-51     scholarship, the coordinating board shall give highest priority to
1-52     awarding scholarships to students who demonstrate the greatest
1-53     financial need.
1-54           Sec. 56.304.  ELIGIBLE PERSON.  (a)  To be eligible initially
1-55     for a Texas Hope scholarship, a person must:
1-56                 (1)  be a resident of this state as determined by
1-57     coordinating board rules;
1-58                 (2)  have graduated from a public high school in this
1-59     state not earlier than the 1998-1999 school year and have completed
1-60     the recommended or advanced high school curriculum established
1-61     under Section 28.002 or 28.025;
1-62                 (3)  meet financial need requirements as defined by the
1-63     coordinating board;
1-64                 (4)  be from a low or middle income family, as
 2-1     determined by the coordinating board;
 2-2                 (5)  be enrolled in an undergraduate degree or
 2-3     certificate program at an eligible institution;
 2-4                 (6)  enroll for at least three-fourths of a full course
 2-5     load as an entering freshman in an undergraduate degree or
 2-6     certificate program not later than the 16th month after the month
 2-7     of the person's graduation from a high school in this state;
 2-8                 (7)  have applied for any available financial aid or
 2-9     assistance; and
2-10                 (8)  comply with any other requirement adopted by the
2-11     coordinating board under this subchapter.
2-12           (b)  A person is not eligible to receive a Texas Hope
2-13     scholarship if the person has been granted a baccalaureate degree.
2-14           (c)  A person may not receive a Texas Hope scholarship for
2-15     more than 150 semester credit hours or the equivalent.
2-16           (d)  A person's eligibility for a Texas Hope scholarship ends
2-17     on the sixth anniversary of the person's initial enrollment in an
2-18     eligible institution.
2-19           (e)  A person is not eligible to receive a Texas Hope
2-20     scholarship if the person has been convicted of a felony, a crime
2-21     involving moral turpitude, or an offense under Chapter 481, Health
2-22     and Safety Code (Texas Controlled Substances Act), or under the law
2-23     of any other jurisdiction involving a controlled substance as
2-24     defined by Chapter 481, Health and Safety Code, unless the person
2-25     has met the other applicable eligibility requirements under this
2-26     subchapter and has:
2-27                 (1)  received a certificate of discharge by the Texas
2-28     Department of Criminal Justice or a correctional facility or
2-29     completed a period of probation ordered by a court, and at least
2-30     two years have elapsed from the date of the receipt or completion;
2-31     or
2-32                 (2)  been pardoned, had the record of the offense
2-33     expunged from the person's record, or otherwise been released from
2-34     the resulting ineligibility to receive a Texas Hope scholarship.
2-35           Sec. 56.305.  ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS.  (a)  After
2-36     initially qualifying for a Texas Hope scholarship, a person may
2-37     continue to receive a Texas Hope scholarship during each semester
2-38     or term in which the person is enrolled at an eligible institution
2-39     only if the person:
2-40                 (1)  meets financial need requirements as defined by
2-41     the coordinating board;
2-42                 (2)  is enrolled in an undergraduate degree or
2-43     certificate program at an eligible institution;
2-44                 (3)  is enrolled for at least three-fourths of a full
2-45     course load in the person's undergraduate degree or certificate
2-46     program;
2-47                 (4)  makes satisfactory academic progress toward an
2-48     undergraduate degree or certificate; and
2-49                 (5)  complies with any other requirement adopted by the
2-50     coordinating board.
2-51           (b)  If a person fails to meet any of the requirements of
2-52     Subsection (a) after the completion of any semester or term, the
2-53     person may not receive a Texas Hope scholarship under this
2-54     subchapter during the next semester or term in which the person
2-55     enrolls.  A person may become eligible to receive a scholarship in
2-56     a subsequent semester or term if the person:
2-57                 (1)  completes a semester or term during which the
2-58     student is not eligible for a scholarship; and
2-59                 (2)  meets all the requirements of Subsection (a).
2-60           (c)  For purposes of this section, a person makes
2-61     satisfactory academic progress toward an undergraduate degree or
2-62     certificate if the person:
2-63                 (1)  completed at least nine semester credit hours or
2-64     75 percent of a full course load in the person's most recent
2-65     semester or term; and
2-66                 (2)  has earned an overall grade point average of at
2-67     least 2.5 on a four-point scale or the equivalent on course work
2-68     previously attempted at institutions of higher education.
2-69           Sec. 56.306.  SCHOLARSHIP USE.  (a)  A person receiving a
 3-1     Texas Hope scholarship may use the money for any usual and
 3-2     customary cost of attendance at an institution incurred by the
 3-3     student if the student is a first semester college student or the
 3-4     student maintains a 3.0 grade point average or greater.  The
 3-5     institution may disburse all or part of the proceeds of a
 3-6     scholarship to an eligible person only if the tuition and required
 3-7     fees incurred by the person at the institution have been paid.
 3-8           (b)  A person receiving a Texas Hope scholarship must use the
 3-9     money for payment of tuition, fees, or textbooks at an institution
3-10     if the student maintains a grade point average of 2.5 or greater
3-11     but less than 3.0.
3-12           Sec. 56.307.  SCHOLARSHIP AMOUNT.  (a)  The amount of a Texas
3-13     Hope scholarship for a semester or term for a person enrolled in an
3-14     eligible institution other than an institution covered by
3-15     Subsection (b), (c), or (d) is the amount per semester hour
3-16     determined by the coordinating board as the average statewide
3-17     amount of tuition and required fees per semester hour that a
3-18     resident student enrolled full-time in a baccalaureate degree
3-19     program would be charged for that semester or term at general
3-20     academic institutions for the number of semester hours the person
3-21     receiving the scholarship is enrolled.
3-22           (b)  The amount of a Texas Hope scholarship for a student
3-23     enrolled at a private or independent institution of higher
3-24     education is the amount determined by the coordinating board as the
3-25     average statewide amount of tuition and required fees per semester
3-26     hour that a resident student enrolled full-time in a baccalaureate
3-27     degree program would be charged for that semester or term at
3-28     general academic institutions for the number of semester hours the
3-29     person receiving the scholarship is enrolled.
3-30           (c)  The amount of a Texas Hope scholarship for a student
3-31     enrolled at a public technical institute is the amount determined
3-32     by the coordinating board as the average statewide amount of
3-33     tuition and required fees per semester hour that a resident student
3-34     enrolled full-time would be charged for that semester or term at
3-35     public technical institutes for the number of semester hours the
3-36     person receiving the scholarship is enrolled.
3-37           (d)  The amount of a Texas Hope scholarship for a student
3-38     enrolled at a public junior college is the amount per semester hour
3-39     determined by the coordinating board as the average statewide
3-40     amount of tuition and required fees per semester hour that a
3-41     student who is a resident of the junior college district and is
3-42     enrolled full-time would be charged for that semester or term at
3-43     public junior colleges for the number of semester hours the person
3-44     receiving the scholarship is enrolled.
3-45           (e)  The amount of a Texas Hope scholarship may not be
3-46     reduced by any gift aid for which the person is eligible, unless
3-47     the total amount of a person's scholarship plus any gift aid
3-48     received exceeds the total cost of attendance at an eligible
3-49     institution.
3-50           (f)  The coordinating board shall publish, not later than
3-51     January 31 of each year, the amount of a scholarship per semester
3-52     hour for each type of institution covered by this section for the
3-53     academic year beginning the next fall semester.
3-54           Sec. 56.308.  NOTIFICATION OF PROGRAM TO STUDENTS AND HIGH
3-55     SCHOOLS.  (a)  The coordinating board shall distribute to each
3-56     eligible institution and to each school district a copy of the
3-57     rules adopted under this subchapter.
3-58           (b)  Each school district shall:
3-59                 (1)  notify its students of the scholarship program and
3-60     the eligibility requirements of the program; and
3-61                 (2)  ensure that each student's official transcript or
3-62     diploma indicates whether the student has completed or is on
3-63     schedule to complete the high school curriculum required for
3-64     scholarship eligibility under Section 56.304(a)(2).
3-65           (c)  The information required by Subsection (b)(2) must be
3-66     included on a student's transcript not later than the end of the
3-67     student's junior year.
3-68           Sec. 56.309.  TEACH FOR TEXAS GRANT PROGRAM.  (a)  A Teach
3-69     for Texas tuition grant is available only to a person who receives
 4-1     a Texas Hope scholarship, applies for a grant, and is enrolled as a
 4-2     junior or senior in a baccalaureate degree program if:
 4-3                 (1)  the degree program is in a teaching field
 4-4     certified by the commissioner of education as experiencing a
 4-5     critical shortage of teachers in this state in the year in which
 4-6     the person begins the degree program; or
 4-7                 (2)  the person agrees to teach in a public school in
 4-8     this state in a community, which is not required to be specifically
 4-9     designated at the time the person receives the grant, certified by
4-10     the commissioner of education as experiencing a critical shortage
4-11     of teachers in any year in which the person receives a grant or in
4-12     any subsequent year in which the person fulfills the teaching
4-13     obligation.
4-14           (b)  To receive a Teach for Texas tuition grant, a person
4-15     must agree to teach full-time for five years at the preschool,
4-16     primary, or secondary level in a public school in this state in the
4-17     person's chosen critical field or in a community experiencing a
4-18     critical teacher shortage, as applicable.
4-19           (c)  The amount of a grant under this section is equal to
4-20     double the amount of a scholarship authorized under Section
4-21     56.307(b) for the same semester or term.  A person may receive both
4-22     a Texas Hope scholarship and a grant under this section for the
4-23     same semester or term.
4-24           (d)  The person must begin fulfilling the teaching obligation
4-25     of this section not later than the 18th month after the person
4-26     completes the degree program and any related courses required for
4-27     teacher certification, unless the coordinating board grants the
4-28     person additional time to begin fulfilling the teaching obligation.
4-29     The period within which the person must complete the teaching
4-30     obligation is six years after the date of beginning to fulfill the
4-31     teaching obligation.  The coordinating board shall grant a person
4-32     additional time to complete the teaching obligation for good cause.
4-33           (e)  The coordinating board shall cancel a person's teaching
4-34     obligation if the board determines that the person:
4-35                 (1)  has become permanently disabled so that the person
4-36     is not able to teach; or
4-37                 (2)  has died.
4-38           (f)  The coordinating board shall require a person who
4-39     receives a grant under this section to sign a promissory note
4-40     acknowledging the conditional nature of the grant and promising to
4-41     repay the amount of the grant plus applicable interest and
4-42     reasonable collection costs if the person does not satisfy the
4-43     applicable conditions.  The board shall determine the terms of the
4-44     promissory note.
4-45           (g)  The amount required to be repaid by a person who fails
4-46     to complete the teaching obligation of the person's grant shall be
4-47     determined in proportion to the portion of the teaching obligation
4-48     that the person has satisfied.
4-49           (h)  A person receiving a Teach for Texas tuition grant is
4-50     considered to have failed to satisfy the conditions of the grant,
4-51     and the grant automatically becomes a loan, if the person fails to
4-52     remain enrolled in or to make steady progress in the degree program
4-53     for which the grant was made without good cause as determined by
4-54     the coordinating board or the person fails to become certified as a
4-55     teacher within 18 months of receiving a degree.
4-56           Sec. 56.310.  FUNDING.  (a)  The coordinating board may
4-57     accept gifts and grants from any public or private source for the
4-58     purposes of this subchapter.
4-59           (b)  The legislature may appropriate money for the purposes
4-60     of this subchapter.
4-61           SECTION 2.  Subsection (a), Section 54.064, Education Code,
4-62     is amended to read as follows:
4-63           (a)  A student who holds a competitive academic scholarship
4-64     of at least $1,000 for the academic year or summer for which the
4-65     student is enrolled and who is either a nonresident or a citizen of
4-66     a country other than the United States of America is entitled to
4-67     pay the fees and charges required of Texas residents without regard
4-68     to the length of time the student has resided in Texas.  The
4-69     student must compete with other students, including Texas
 5-1     residents, for the academic scholarship and the academic
 5-2     scholarship must be awarded by a scholarship committee officially
 5-3     recognized by the administration and be approved by the Texas
 5-4     Higher Education Coordinating Board under criteria developed by the
 5-5     board.
 5-6           SECTION 3.  Subsection (a), Section 54.203, Education Code,
 5-7     is amended to read as follows:
 5-8           (a)  The governing board of each institution of higher
 5-9     education shall exempt the following persons from the payment of
5-10     all dues, fees, and charges, including fees for correspondence
5-11     courses but excluding property deposit fees, student services fees,
5-12     and any fees or charges for lodging, board, or clothing, provided
5-13     the persons seeking the exemptions were citizens of Texas at the
5-14     time they entered the services indicated and have resided in Texas
5-15     for at least the period of 12 months before the date of
5-16     registration:
5-17                 (1)  all nurses and honorably discharged members of the
5-18     armed forces of the United States who served during the
5-19     Spanish-American War or during World War I;
5-20                 (2)  all nurses, members of the Women's Army Auxiliary
5-21     Corps, members of the Women's Auxiliary Volunteer Emergency
5-22     Service, and all honorably discharged members of the armed forces
5-23     of the United States who served during World War II except those
5-24     who were discharged from service because they were over the age of
5-25     38 or because of a personal request on the part of the person that
5-26     he be discharged from service;
5-27                 (3)  all honorably discharged men and women of the
5-28     armed forces of the United States who served during the national
5-29     emergency which began on June 27, 1950, and which is referred to as
5-30     the Korean War; and
5-31                 (4)  all persons who were honorably discharged from the
5-32     armed forces of the United States after serving on active military
5-33     duty, excluding training, for more than 180 days and who served a
5-34     portion of their active duty during:
5-35                       (A)  [the Cold War which began on the date of the
5-36     termination of the national emergency cited in Subdivision (3) of
5-37     this subsection;]
5-38                       [(B)]  the Vietnam era which began on December
5-39     21, 1961, and ended on May 7, 1975;
5-40                       (B) [(C)]  the Grenada and Lebanon era which
5-41     began on August 24, 1982, and ended on July 31, 1984;
5-42                       (C) [(D)]  the Panama era which began on December
5-43     20, 1989, and ended on January 21, 1990;
5-44                       (D) [(E)]  the Persian Gulf War which began on
5-45     August 2, 1990, and ends on the date thereafter prescribed by
5-46     Presidential proclamation or September 1, 1997, whichever occurs
5-47     first; or
5-48                       (E) [(F)]  any future national emergency declared
5-49     in accordance with federal law.
5-50           SECTION 4.  Subsection (c), Section 54.5021, Education Code,
5-51     is amended to read as follows:
5-52           (c)  Not later than August 31 of each fiscal year, each
5-53     institution of higher education that has an unobligated and
5-54     unexpended balance in its student deposit fund that exceeds 150
5-55     percent of the total deposits to that fund during that year shall
5-56     remit to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board the amount
5-57     of that excess.  The coordinating board shall allocate on an
5-58     equitable basis amounts received under this subsection to
5-59     institutions of higher education that do not have an excess
5-60     described by this subsection for deposit in their student deposit
5-61     fund.  The amount allocated under this subsection may be used only
5-62     for making scholarship and grant awards under Subchapter M, Chapter
5-63     56 [to needy and deserving students under this section].
5-64           SECTION 5.  Subsection (a), Section 56.033, Education Code,
5-65     is amended to read as follows:
5-66           (a)  The governing boards of institutions of higher education
5-67     and the Texas State Technical College System shall cause to be set
5-68     aside:
5-69                 (1)  five [for the 1991-1992 academic year, not less
 6-1     than nine percent nor more than 15] percent out of each resident
 6-2     student's tuition charge under Section 54.051, except as provided
 6-3     by Subdivision (2) [of this code as provided by the General
 6-4     Appropriations  Act for the applicable academic year];
 6-5                 (2)  15 percent out of each resident student's tuition
 6-6     charge at a medical or dental unit under Section 54.051 [for the
 6-7     1992-1993 academic year and each subsequent academic year, not less
 6-8     than 15 percent nor more than 20 percent out of each resident
 6-9     student's tuition charge under Section 54.051 of this code as
6-10     provided by the General Appropriations Act for the applicable
6-11     academic year; in specifying the percentage to be set aside for the
6-12     1991-1992 and 1992-1993 academic years, the legislature shall
6-13     consider the recommendations of the Select Committee on Higher
6-14     Education established by H.C.R. No. 105, Acts of the 69th
6-15     Legislature, Regular Session, 1985];
6-16                 (3)  three percent out of each nonresident student's
6-17     tuition charge under Section 54.051 [of this code];
6-18                 (4)  three [six] percent out of each resident student's
6-19     hourly tuition charge, and $1.50 out of each nonresident student's
6-20     hourly tuition charge, for academic courses at public community and
6-21     junior colleges; and
6-22                 (5)  three [six] percent of hourly tuition charges for
6-23     vocational-technical courses at public community and junior
6-24     colleges.
6-25           SECTION 6.  Subchapter C, Chapter 56, Education Code, is
6-26     amended by adding Section 56.0331 to read as follows:
6-27           Sec. 56.0331.  INTERIM SET-ASIDE RATES.  (a)  For the
6-28     academic years listed in Subsections (b) and (c), the amounts of
6-29     tuition set aside under Sections 56.033(a)(1), (4), and (5) are as
6-30     provided by this section instead of as provided by Sections
6-31     56.033(a)(1), (4), and (5).
6-32           (b)  The amount set aside under Section 56.033(a)(1) is:
6-33                 (1)  1999-2000 academic year--12.5 percent;
6-34                 (2)  2000-2001 academic year--10 percent; and
6-35                 (3)  2001-2002 academic year--7.5 percent.
6-36           (c)  The amount set aside under Sections 56.033(a)(4) and (5)
6-37     is:
6-38                 (1)  1999-2000 academic year--5 percent; and
6-39                 (2)  2000-2001 academic year--4 percent.
6-40           (d)  Subsection (c) does not affect the amount set aside out
6-41     of each nonresident student's hourly tuition charge under Section
6-42     56.033(a)(4).
6-43           (e)  This section expires September 1, 2003.
6-44           SECTION 7.  Section 56.039, Education Code, is amended to
6-45     read as follows:
6-46           Sec. 56.039.  FULL USE OF FUNDS.  At the end of a fiscal
6-47     year, if the total amount of unencumbered funds that have been set
6-48     aside under this subchapter by an institution of higher education,
6-49     together with the total amount of unencumbered funds transferred by
6-50     that institution to the Coordinating Board, Texas College and
6-51     University System, exceeds 150 percent of the amount of funds set
6-52     aside by that institution in that fiscal year, the institution
6-53     shall transfer the excess amount to the coordinating board.  The
6-54     coordinating board shall use funds transferred under this section
6-55     to award scholarships and grants under Subchapter M [as provided by
6-56     law to students at institutions other than the institution that
6-57     transferred the funds].
6-58           SECTION 8.  Section 151.423, Tax Code, is amended to read as
6-59     follows:
6-60           Sec. 151.423.  REIMBURSEMENT TO TAXPAYER FOR TAX COLLECTIONS.
6-61     A taxpayer may deduct and withhold one-half of one percent of the
6-62     amount of taxes due from the taxpayer on a timely return as
6-63     reimbursement for the cost of collecting the taxes imposed by this
6-64     chapter.  The comptroller shall provide a card with each form
6-65     distributed for the collection of taxes under this chapter.  The
6-66     card may be inserted by the taxpayer with the tax payment to
6-67     provide for contribution of all or part of the reimbursement
6-68     provided by this section for use as scholarships or grants [student
6-69     financial assistance grants offered] under Subchapter M, Chapter
 7-1     56, Education Code.  If the taxpayer chooses to contribute the
 7-2     reimbursement for the scholarships or grants [student grants], the
 7-3     taxpayer shall include the amount of the reimbursement contribution
 7-4     with the tax payment.  The comptroller shall transfer money
 7-5     contributed under this section for scholarships or grants under
 7-6     Subchapter M, Chapter 56, Education Code, [student grants] to the
 7-7     appropriate fund.
 7-8           SECTION 9.  Sections 54.207, 54.208, and 54.216, Education
 7-9     Code, are repealed.
7-10           SECTION 10.  Subchapters F, G, and J, Chapter 56, Education
7-11     Code, are repealed effective June 1, 1999.
7-12           SECTION 11.  Any money appropriated to or collected for  a
7-13     program abolished under Section 9 or 10 of this Act or that exists
7-14     in any account to support a program abolished under Section 9 or 10
7-15     of this Act, including the Texas New Horizons Scholarship Trust
7-16     Fund, is transferred to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating
7-17     Board for use in the Texas Hope Scholarship Program and the Teach
7-18     for Texas Grant Program.
7-19           SECTION 12.  (a)  Except as provided by Subsection (b) of
7-20     this section, the change in law made by this Act to Section 54.203,
7-21     Education Code, applies only to a person who enrolls in an
7-22     institution of higher education on or after the effective date of
7-23     this Act.
7-24           (b)  A person enrolled in an institution of higher education
7-25     who received an exemption under Section 54.203, Education Code,
7-26     before the effective date of this Act is covered by the law in
7-27     effect January 1, 1999, and that former law is continued in effect
7-28     for that purpose until the fourth anniversary of the effective date
7-29     of this Act.  After that fourth anniversary, the person is subject
7-30     to Section 54.203, Education Code, in the same manner as any other
7-31     person.
7-32           SECTION 13.  A person receiving financial aid under
7-33     Subchapter G or J, Chapter 56, Education Code, on the effective
7-34     date of this Act may continue to receive financial aid under those
7-35     subchapters until the person is no longer eligible to receive any
7-36     financial aid under Subchapter G or J, Chapter 56, Education Code,
7-37     as appropriate, as those subchapters exist on January 1, 1999.
7-38     Funding for financial aid under this section shall come from
7-39     funding for the Texas Hope Scholarship Program and the Teach for
7-40     Texas Grant Program.
7-41           SECTION 14.  (a)  The Texas Higher Education Coordinating
7-42     Board shall award  scholarships and grants under the Texas Hope
7-43     Scholarship Program and the Teach for Texas Grant Program beginning
7-44     with the 1999 fall semester.
7-45           (b)  The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall
7-46     adopt the rules for awarding scholarships and grants under the
7-47     Texas Hope Scholarship Program and the Teach for Texas Grant
7-48     Program not later than July 31, 1999.
7-49           (c)  The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board may award
7-50     a grant under the Teach for Texas Grant Program to a person who has
7-51     not received a Texas Hope scholarship if the person meets all the
7-52     other qualifications for the award of a Teach for Texas tuition
7-53     grant under Section 56.309, Education Code, as added by this Act,
7-54     and the requirements for a Texas Hope scholarship under Section
7-55     56.305, Education Code, as added by this Act.  This subsection
7-56     expires September 1, 2001.
7-57           SECTION 15.  (a)  Subdivision (2), Subsection (a), Section
7-58     56.304, Education Code, as added by this Act, does not apply to a
7-59     person if the person:
7-60                 (1)  attended a high school that the State Board of
7-61     Education determines did not offer all the necessary courses of the
7-62     recommended or advanced curriculum; and
7-63                 (2)  completed all other courses in the recommended or
7-64     advanced curriculum offered by the high school when the person
7-65     attended.
7-66           (b)  This section expires September 1, 2001.
7-67           SECTION 16.  The importance of this legislation and the
7-68     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
7-69     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
 8-1     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
 8-2     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
 8-3     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
 8-4     passage, and it is so enacted.
 8-5                                  * * * * *