1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to financial aid programs, including loan repayment
1-3 programs, for certain students of institutions of higher education
1-4 or teacher certification programs and for certain classroom
1-5 teachers.
1-6 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-7 SECTION 1. Subsection (e), Section 56.304, Education Code,
1-8 is amended to read as follows:
1-9 (e) A person's eligibility for a TEXAS grant ends on the
1-10 sixth anniversary of the initial award of a TEXAS grant to the
1-11 person and the person's enrollment in an eligible institution,
1-12 unless the person is provided additional time during which the
1-13 person may receive a TEXAS grant under this subsection. The
1-14 coordinating board shall adopt rules to provide a person who is
1-15 otherwise eligible to receive a TEXAS grant additional time during
1-16 which the person may receive a TEXAS grant in the event of a
1-17 hardship or other good cause shown that prevents the person from
1-18 continuing the person's enrollment during the period the person
1-19 would otherwise have been eligible to receive a TEXAS grant,
1-20 including a showing of a severe illness or other debilitating
1-21 condition or that the person is or was responsible for the care of
1-22 a sick, injured, or needy person.
1-23 SECTION 2. Section 61.0776, Education Code, is amended by
1-24 amending Subsection (c) and adding Subsection (f) to read as
1-25 follows:
2-1 (c) The board may designate an institution of higher
2-2 education or other entity with appropriate facilities and resources
2-3 to operate or house the center. If the board designates a public
2-4 nonprofit entity created by the legislature to operate or house the
2-5 center, the board may reimburse the entity from money appropriated
2-6 for that purpose for the costs incurred by the entity in carrying
2-7 out the activities of the center under this section.
2-8 (f) The board and the commissioner of education shall
2-9 develop a plan or set of recommendations to ensure that information
2-10 on the TEXAS grant program and other financial aid information
2-11 described by Subsection (a) is adequately publicized to prospective
2-12 students and financial aid recipients and their parents and to
2-13 school counselors, student financial aid offices, and other
2-14 appropriate entities. The board and the commissioner of education
2-15 shall report the results of the study and the plan or
2-16 recommendations to the legislature not later than October 1, 2002.
2-17 This subsection expires January 1, 2003.
2-18 SECTION 3. Section 56.309, Education Code, is redesignated
2-19 as Subchapter O, Chapter 56, Education Code, and amended to read as
2-20 follows:
2-21 SUBCHAPTER O. TEACH FOR TEXAS FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
2-22 Sec. 56.351. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
2-23 (1) "Coordinating board" means the Texas Higher
2-24 Education Coordinating Board.
2-25 (2) "Eligible institution of higher education" means:
2-26 (A) an institution of higher education; or
3-1 (B) a private or independent institution of
3-2 higher education as defined by Section 61.003.
3-3 Sec. 56.352 [56.309]. PURPOSE OF [TEACH FOR TEXAS GRANT]
3-4 PROGRAM. [(a)] The purpose of this subchapter [the Teach for
3-5 Texas grant program] is to attract to the teaching profession
3-6 persons who have expressed interest in teaching and to support the
3-7 certification of those persons as classroom teachers by providing a
3-8 grant on the condition that the recipient serve as a classroom
3-9 teacher in the public schools of this state for a specified period.
3-10 Sec. 56.353. ELIGIBILITY FOR GRANT; TEACHING AGREEMENT.
3-11 (a) [(b)] A Teach for Texas [tuition] grant is available only to
3-12 a person who [receives a TEXAS grant under Section 56.304 or
3-13 56.305,] applies for a [Teach for Texas tuition] grant[,] and:
3-14 (1) is seeking educator certification;
3-15 (2) is enrolled in an eligible institution of higher
3-16 education in this state:
3-17 (A) as a junior or senior in a baccalaureate
3-18 degree program; or
3-19 (B) in the person's first academic year in an
3-20 educator certification program after receiving a baccalaureate
3-21 degree;
3-22 (3) makes satisfactory progress toward completion of
3-23 the person's educator certification program; and
3-24 (4) satisfies one of the following [if]:
3-25 (A) the person is seeking educator certification
3-26 [(1) the degree program is] in a teaching field certified by the
4-1 commissioner of education as experiencing a critical shortage of
4-2 teachers in this state in the year in which the person receives the
4-3 grant and agrees to teach full-time for five years at the
4-4 preschool, primary, or secondary level in a public school in this
4-5 state in that teaching field [begins the degree program]; or
4-6 (B) [(2)] the person agrees to teach full-time
4-7 for five years at the preschool, primary, or secondary level in a
4-8 public school in this state in a community, which is not required
4-9 to be specifically designated at the time the person receives the
4-10 grant, certified by the commissioner of education as experiencing a
4-11 critical shortage of teachers in any year in which the person
4-12 receives a grant under this subchapter [section] or in any
4-13 subsequent year in which the person fulfills the teaching
4-14 obligation.
4-15 (b) The coordinating board in awarding Teach for Texas
4-16 grants shall give priority to applicants who demonstrate financial
4-17 need.
4-18 (c) If the money available for grants in a period for which
4-19 grants are awarded exceeds the amount needed to provide grants to
4-20 all eligible applicants described by Subsection (b), the
4-21 coordinating board shall award grants from the remaining money to
4-22 additional eligible applicants. The coordinating board shall
4-23 prescribe by rule the eligibility requirements for these applicants
4-24 based on the factors that the coordinating board considers
4-25 appropriate to further the purposes of this subchapter.
4-26 (d) If the money available for grants in a period for which
5-1 grants are awarded is insufficient to provide grants to all
5-2 eligible applicants described by Subsection (b), the coordinating
5-3 board shall give the highest priority to applicants who demonstrate
5-4 the greatest financial need.
5-5 (e) A person may not receive a Teach for Texas tuition grant
5-6 for more than three academic years or the equivalent.
5-7 (f) A person is not eligible to receive a Teach for Texas
5-8 grant if the person has been convicted of a felony or an offense
5-9 under Chapter 481, Health and Safety Code (Texas Controlled
5-10 Substances Act), or under the law of another jurisdiction involving
5-11 a controlled substance, as defined by Chapter 481, Health and
5-12 Safety Code, unless the person has met the other applicable
5-13 eligibility requirements under this subchapter and has:
5-14 (1) received a certificate of discharge by the Texas
5-15 Department of Criminal Justice or a correctional facility or
5-16 completed a period of probation ordered by a court, and at least
5-17 two years have elapsed from the date of the receipt or completion;
5-18 or
5-19 (2) been pardoned, had the record of the offense
5-20 expunged from the person's record, or otherwise has been released
5-21 from the resulting ineligibility to receive a grant under this
5-22 subchapter.
5-23 (g) For the purpose of this section, a person makes
5-24 satisfactory academic progress toward completion of an educator
5-25 certification program if the person:
5-26 (1) completes at least 75 percent of the semester
6-1 credit hours attempted in the student's most recent academic year;
6-2 and
6-3 (2) earns an overall grade point average of at least
6-4 2.5 on a four-point scale or the equivalent on coursework
6-5 previously attempted at institutions of higher education.
6-6 Sec. 56.354. AMOUNT OF GRANT; PAYMENT OF GRANT. (a) The
6-7 amount of a Teach for Texas grant is equal to four times the
6-8 current amount of a TEXAS grant under Subchapter M for a student
6-9 enrolled in a general academic teaching institution [To receive a
6-10 Teach for Texas tuition grant, a person must agree to teach
6-11 full-time for five years at the preschool, primary, or secondary
6-12 level in a public school in this state in the person's chosen
6-13 critical field or in a community experiencing a critical teacher
6-14 shortage, as applicable].
6-15 (b) [(d)] The coordinating board shall pay the amount of a
6-16 Teach for Texas [tuition] grant in installments, with a
6-17 substantially equal amount paid in each semester or term based on
6-18 the number of semesters in which a typical full-time student would
6-19 complete the recipient's educator certification program. The
6-20 coordinating board may adjust the amount of a grant for a semester
6-21 or term, or award a supplemental grant, to ensure that a grant
6-22 recipient who completes the educator certification program receives
6-23 the total amount of the recipient's grant [under this section is
6-24 equal to two times the amount of a TEXAS grant authorized under
6-25 Section 56.307(b) for the same semester or term].
6-26 Sec. 56.355. ELIGIBILITY FOR TEXAS GRANT NOT AFFECTED. A
7-1 person may receive both a TEXAS grant under Subchapter M [Section
7-2 56.304 or 56.305] and a Teach for Texas grant under this subchapter
7-3 [section] for the same semester or term.
7-4 Sec. 56.356. SATISFYING TEACHING OBLIGATION; REPAYMENT.
7-5 (a) A person who receives a Teach for Texas grant [(e) The person]
7-6 must begin fulfilling the teaching obligation of the person's grant
7-7 [this section] not later than the 18th month after the person
7-8 completes the educator certification program for which the person
7-9 received the grant [degree program and any related courses required
7-10 for teacher certification], unless the coordinating board grants
7-11 the person additional time to begin fulfilling the teaching
7-12 obligation.
7-13 (b) The person must complete the teaching obligation not
7-14 later than the sixth year after the date the person begins to
7-15 fulfill the teaching obligation. The coordinating board shall
7-16 grant a person additional time to complete the teaching obligation
7-17 for good cause.
7-18 (c) [(f)] The coordinating board shall cancel a person's
7-19 teaching obligation if the board determines that the person:
7-20 (1) has become permanently disabled so that the person
7-21 is not able to teach; or
7-22 (2) has died.
7-23 (d) [(g)] The coordinating board shall require a person who
7-24 receives a Teach for Texas grant [under this section] to sign a
7-25 promissory note acknowledging the conditional nature of the grant
7-26 and promising to repay the outstanding amount of the grant plus
8-1 applicable interest and reasonable collection costs if the person
8-2 does not satisfy the applicable conditions. The board shall
8-3 determine the terms of the promissory note.
8-4 (e) [(h)] The amount required to be repaid by a person who
8-5 fails to complete the teaching obligation of the person's grant
8-6 shall be determined in proportion to the portion of the total
8-7 teaching obligation that the person has not satisfied.
8-8 (f) [(i)] A person receiving a Teach for Texas [tuition]
8-9 grant is considered to have failed to satisfy the conditions of the
8-10 grant, and the grant automatically becomes a loan, if the person
8-11 fails to remain enrolled in or to make steady progress in the
8-12 person's educator certification program and, if applicable, the
8-13 person's baccalaureate degree program for which the grant was made
8-14 without good cause as determined by the coordinating board or if
8-15 the person fails to become certified as a teacher not later than
8-16 the 18th month after the date the person completes the educator
8-17 certification program [receives a degree].
8-18 Sec. 56.357. TEACH FOR TEXAS ALTERNATIVE CERTIFICATION
8-19 ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. (a) The coordinating board shall establish a
8-20 program under which the coordinating board awards grants to assist
8-21 persons seeking educator certification through alternative educator
8-22 certification programs as provided by this section.
8-23 (b) To be eligible for a grant under the program, a person
8-24 must apply for a grant and:
8-25 (1) have received a baccalaureate degree from an
8-26 eligible institution of higher education or an accredited
9-1 out-of-state institution of higher education; and
9-2 (2) enroll in an alternative educator certification
9-3 program described by Section 21.049 and satisfy either of the
9-4 following conditions:
9-5 (A) be seeking educator certification in a
9-6 teaching field certified by the commissioner of education as
9-7 experiencing a critical shortage of teachers in this state in the
9-8 year in which the person receives the grant and agree to teach for
9-9 five years in a public school in this state in that teaching field;
9-10 or
9-11 (B) agree to teach for five years in a public
9-12 school in this state in a community, which is not required to be
9-13 specifically designated at the time the person receives the grant,
9-14 certified by the commissioner of education as experiencing a
9-15 critical shortage of teachers in any year in which the person
9-16 receives a grant under this section or in any subsequent year in
9-17 which the person fulfills the teaching obligation.
9-18 (c) A person is not eligible to receive a grant under the
9-19 program if the person has been convicted of a felony or an offense
9-20 under Chapter 481, Health and Safety Code (Texas Controlled
9-21 Substances Act), or under the law of another jurisdiction involving
9-22 a controlled substance, as defined by Chapter 481, Health and
9-23 Safety Code, unless the person has met the other applicable
9-24 eligibility requirements under this section and has:
9-25 (1) received a certificate of discharge by the Texas
9-26 Department of Criminal Justice or a correctional facility or
10-1 completed a period of probation ordered by a court, and at least
10-2 two years have elapsed from the date of the receipt or completion;
10-3 or
10-4 (2) been pardoned, had the record of the offense
10-5 expunged from the person's record, or otherwise has been released
10-6 from the resulting ineligibility to receive a grant under the
10-7 program.
10-8 (d) In selecting applicants to receive grants under the
10-9 program, the coordinating board shall consider:
10-10 (1) the financial resources of an applicant;
10-11 (2) the efficient use of the money available for
10-12 grants;
10-13 (3) the opportunity of applicants from all regions of
10-14 this state to receive grants; and
10-15 (4) any other factor the coordinating board considers
10-16 appropriate to further the purposes of this subchapter.
10-17 (e) The amount of a grant under the program is equal to two
10-18 times the current amount of a TEXAS grant under Subchapter M for a
10-19 student enrolled in a general academic teaching institution. The
10-20 coordinating board may pay the amount of the grant in installments
10-21 during the period in which the person is enrolled in the person's
10-22 alternative educator certification program.
10-23 (f) The person must begin fulfilling the person's teaching
10-24 obligation not later than the 18th month after the person completes
10-25 the alternative educator certification program, unless the
10-26 coordinating board for good cause grants the person additional time
11-1 to begin fulfilling the teaching obligation. The person must
11-2 complete the teaching obligation not later than the sixth year
11-3 after the date the person begins to fulfill the teaching
11-4 obligation. The coordinating board shall grant a person additional
11-5 time to complete the teaching obligation for good cause.
11-6 (g) The coordinating board shall cancel a person's teaching
11-7 obligation if the coordinating board determines that the person:
11-8 (1) has become permanently disabled so that the person
11-9 is not able to teach; or
11-10 (2) has died.
11-11 (h) The coordinating board shall require a person who
11-12 receives a grant to sign a promissory note acknowledging the
11-13 conditional nature of the grant and promising to repay the amount
11-14 of the grant plus applicable interest and reasonable collection
11-15 costs if the person does not satisfy the applicable conditions of
11-16 the grant. The coordinating board shall determine the terms of the
11-17 promissory note.
11-18 (i) The amount required to be repaid by a person who fails
11-19 to complete the teaching obligation of the person's grant shall be
11-20 determined in proportion to the portion of the teaching obligation
11-21 that the person has not satisfied.
11-22 (j) A person receiving a grant is considered to have failed
11-23 to satisfy the conditions of the grant, and the grant automatically
11-24 becomes a loan, if the person, without good cause as determined by
11-25 the coordinating board, fails to:
11-26 (1) remain enrolled in or to make steady progress in
12-1 the alternative educator certification program for which the grant
12-2 was made or, with the approval of the coordinating board, in
12-3 another alternative educator certification program; or
12-4 (2) become certified as a classroom teacher not later
12-5 than the 18th month after the date the person completes the
12-6 alternative educator certification program.
12-7 Sec. 56.358. FUNDING; ALLOCATION OF FUNDING. (a) The
12-8 coordinating board may solicit and accept gifts and grants from any
12-9 public or private source for the purposes of this subchapter.
12-10 (b) The legislature may appropriate money for the purposes
12-11 of this subchapter.
12-12 SECTION 4. The heading to Subchapter M, Chapter 56,
12-13 Education Code, as added by Chapter 1590, Acts of the 76th
12-14 Legislature, Regular Session, 1999, is amended to read as follows:
12-15 SUBCHAPTER M. TOWARD EXCELLENCE, ACCESS, & SUCCESS (TEXAS)
12-16 GRANT PROGRAM [AND TEACH FOR TEXAS GRANT PROGRAM]
12-17 SECTION 5. Subsection (b), Section 56.308, Education Code,
12-18 is amended to read as follows:
12-19 (b) Each school district shall:
12-20 (1) notify its middle school students, junior high
12-21 school students, and high school students, those students' teachers
12-22 and counselors, and those students' parents of the TEXAS grant and
12-23 Teach for Texas grant programs [established under this subchapter],
12-24 the eligibility requirements of each program, the need for students
12-25 to make informed curriculum choices to be prepared for success
12-26 beyond high school, and sources of information on higher education
13-1 admissions and financial aid in a manner that assists the district
13-2 in implementing a strategy adopted by the district under Section
13-3 11.252(a)(4); and
13-4 (2) ensure that each student's official transcript or
13-5 diploma indicates whether the student has completed or is on
13-6 schedule to complete:
13-7 (A) the recommended or advanced high school
13-8 curriculum required for grant eligibility under Section 28.002 or
13-9 28.025; or
13-10 (B) for a school district covered by Section
13-11 56.304(f)(1), the required portion of the recommended or advanced
13-12 high school curriculum in the manner described by Section
13-13 56.304(f)(2).
13-14 SECTION 6. Section 56.311, Education Code, is amended to
13-15 read as follows:
13-16 Sec. 56.311. LEGISLATIVE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE. (a) The
13-17 Legislative Oversight Committee on the TEXAS grant program and
13-18 Teach for Texas grant program [programs established by this
13-19 subchapter] is composed of six members as follows:
13-20 (1) three members of the senate appointed by the
13-21 lieutenant governor; and
13-22 (2) three members of the house of representatives
13-23 appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives.
13-24 (b) The committee shall:
13-25 (1) meet at least twice a year with the coordinating
13-26 board; and
14-1 (2) receive information regarding rules relating to
14-2 the TEXAS grant program and Teach for Texas grant program [programs
14-3 established by this subchapter] that have been adopted by the
14-4 coordinating board or proposed for adoption by the coordinating
14-5 board.
14-6 (c) The committee may request reports and other information
14-7 from the coordinating board relating to the operation of the TEXAS
14-8 grant program and Teach for Texas grant program [programs under
14-9 this subchapter] by the coordinating board.
14-10 (d) The committee shall review the specific recommendations
14-11 for legislation related to this subchapter that are proposed by the
14-12 coordinating board.
14-13 (e) The committee shall monitor the operation of the TEXAS
14-14 grant program and Teach for Texas grant program [programs
14-15 established under this subchapter], with emphasis on the manner of
14-16 the award of grants, the number of grants awarded, and the
14-17 educational progress made by persons who have received grants under
14-18 those programs [this subchapter].
14-19 (f) The committee shall file a report with the governor,
14-20 lieutenant governor, and speaker of the house of representatives
14-21 not later than December 31 of each even-numbered year.
14-22 (g) The report shall include identification of any problems
14-23 in the TEXAS grant program and Teach for Texas grant program
14-24 [programs operated under this subchapter] with recommended
14-25 solutions for the coordinating board and for legislative action.
14-26 SECTION 7. Subsection (a), Section 11.252, Education Code,
15-1 is amended to read as follows:
15-2 (a) Each school district shall have a district improvement
15-3 plan that is developed, evaluated, and revised annually, in
15-4 accordance with district policy, by the superintendent with the
15-5 assistance of the district-level committee established under
15-6 Section 11.251. The purpose of the district improvement plan is to
15-7 guide district and campus staff in the improvement of student
15-8 performance for all student groups in order to attain state
15-9 standards in respect to the academic excellence indicators adopted
15-10 under Section 39.051. The district improvement plan must include
15-11 provisions for:
15-12 (1) a comprehensive needs assessment addressing
15-13 district student performance on the academic excellence indicators,
15-14 and other appropriate measures of performance, that are
15-15 disaggregated by all student groups served by the district,
15-16 including categories of ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sex, and
15-17 populations served by special programs, including students in
15-18 special education programs under Subchapter A, Chapter 29;
15-19 (2) measurable district performance objectives for all
15-20 appropriate academic excellence indicators for all student
15-21 populations, including students in special education programs under
15-22 Subchapter A, Chapter 29, and other measures of student performance
15-23 that may be identified through the comprehensive needs assessment;
15-24 (3) strategies for improvement of student performance
15-25 that include:
15-26 (A) instructional methods for addressing the
16-1 needs of student groups not achieving their full potential;
16-2 (B) methods for addressing the needs of students
16-3 for special programs, such as suicide prevention, conflict
16-4 resolution, violence prevention, or dyslexia treatment programs;
16-5 (C) dropout reduction;
16-6 (D) integration of technology in instructional
16-7 and administrative programs;
16-8 (E) discipline management;
16-9 (F) staff development for professional staff of
16-10 the district;
16-11 (G) career education to assist students in
16-12 developing the knowledge, skills, and competencies necessary for a
16-13 broad range of career opportunities; and
16-14 (H) accelerated education;
16-15 (4) strategies for providing to middle school, junior
16-16 high school, and high school students, those students' teachers and
16-17 counselors, and those students' parents information about:
16-18 (A) higher education admissions and financial
16-19 aid opportunities;
16-20 (B) the TEXAS grant program and the Teach for
16-21 Texas grant program established under [Subchapter M,] Chapter 56;
16-22 (C) the need for students to make informed
16-23 curriculum choices to be prepared for success beyond high school;
16-24 and
16-25 (D) sources of information on higher education
16-26 admissions and financial aid;
17-1 (5) resources needed to implement identified
17-2 strategies;
17-3 (6) staff responsible for ensuring the accomplishment
17-4 of each strategy;
17-5 (7) timelines for ongoing monitoring of the
17-6 implementation of each improvement strategy; and
17-7 (8) formative evaluation criteria for determining
17-8 periodically whether strategies are resulting in intended
17-9 improvement of student performance.
17-10 SECTION 8. Subchapter M, Chapter 61, Education Code, is
17-11 amended by amending Section 61.702 and adding Section 61.7021 to
17-12 read as follows:
17-13 Sec. 61.702. ELIGIBILITY FOR CLASSROOM TEACHER REPAYMENT
17-14 ASSISTANCE. (a) To be eligible to receive repayment assistance
17-15 for classroom teachers, a person must apply to the board and must
17-16 [have]:
17-17 (1) have completed at least one year of employment as
17-18 [and be employed as] a full-time classroom teacher at the
17-19 preschool, primary, or secondary level in a public school in [the
17-20 elementary or secondary schools of] this state in an area or field
17-21 of acute teacher shortage as designated by the commissioner of
17-22 education [State Board of Education]; and
17-23 (2) be employed as a full-time classroom teacher at
17-24 the preschool, primary, or secondary level in a public school in
17-25 this state in an area or field described by Subdivision (1).
17-26 (b) A person is not eligible for repayment assistance for
18-1 classroom teachers under this subchapter if the person has received
18-2 a Teach for Texas grant or other financial assistance under
18-3 Subchapter O, Chapter 56, or under former Section 56.309.
18-4 (c) The board shall give priority in granting repayment
18-5 assistance for classroom teachers to a person who received
18-6 repayment assistance for classroom teachers for the preceding
18-7 school year. The priority terminates if the person does not apply
18-8 for or is not eligible for that assistance. In extraordinary
18-9 circumstances, the board may allow a person to maintain the
18-10 priority after one or more years in which the person is unable to
18-11 teach as a classroom teacher.
18-12 Sec. 61.7021. ELIGIBILITY FOR BORDER INSTITUTION FACULTY
18-13 REPAYMENT ASSISTANCE. To be eligible to receive repayment
18-14 assistance for border institution faculty, a person must apply to
18-15 the board and must:
18-16 (1) have [or]
18-17 [(2)] received a doctoral degree not earlier than
18-18 September 1, 1994, from a public or private institution of higher
18-19 education accredited as required by the board; and
18-20 (2) be employed as a full-time faculty member with
18-21 instructional duties in an institution of higher education located
18-22 in a county that borders the United Mexican States.
18-23 SECTION 9. Section 61.705, Education Code, is amended by
18-24 amending Subsection (c) and adding Subsections (d) and (e) to read
18-25 as follows:
18-26 (c) The minimum amount of repayment assistance that may be
19-1 awarded in one year to a person who qualifies for the assistance
19-2 under Section 61.702 is the lesser of:
19-3 (1) $1,000; or
19-4 (2) the amount of principal and accrued interest that
19-5 is due on eligible loans in that year.
19-6 (d) A person may not receive repayment assistance for
19-7 classroom teachers under this subchapter in a total amount that
19-8 exceeds $5,000, and may not receive that repayment assistance for
19-9 more than five years.
19-10 (e) The minimum amount of repayment assistance that may be
19-11 awarded [received] in one year to [by] a person who qualifies for
19-12 the assistance under [described by] Section 61.7021 [61.702(2)] is
19-13 50 percent of the amount of principal and accrued interest that is
19-14 due on eligible loans that year.
19-15 SECTION 10. Subsection (a), Section 61.708, Education Code,
19-16 is amended to read as follows:
19-17 (a) The board shall adopt rules necessary for the
19-18 administration of this subchapter, including[:]
19-19 [(1) a rule that sets a minimum or maximum amount of
19-20 repayment assistance that may be received in one year by a person
19-21 described by Section 61.702(1); and]
19-22 [(2)] a rule that sets a maximum amount of repayment
19-23 assistance that may be received in one year by a person who
19-24 qualifies for the assistance under Section 61.7021 [described by
19-25 Section 61.702(2)].
19-26 SECTION 11. (a) The change in law made by this Act relating
20-1 to the eligibility of a person to receive a TEXAS grant applies
20-2 beginning with students who demonstrate eligibility to receive a
20-3 grant for the 2001-2002 academic year.
20-4 (b) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall
20-5 implement the changes made by this Act to the Teach for Texas grant
20-6 program and to the classroom teacher loan repayment assistance
20-7 program under Subchapter M, Chapter 61, Education Code, as soon as
20-8 practicable after the effective date of this Act, but not later
20-9 than the 2002-2003 academic year.
20-10 (c) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall
20-11 adopt initial rules for awarding grants and shall award grants
20-12 under the Teach for Texas alternative certification assistance
20-13 program established under Section 56.357, Education Code, as added
20-14 by this Act, as soon as practicable.
20-15 SECTION 12. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
20-16 a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
20-17 provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
20-18 Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
20-19 Act takes effect September 1, 2001.
S.B. No. 1057
_______________________________ _______________________________
President of the Senate Speaker of the House
I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1057 passed the Senate on
April 11, 2001, by the following vote: Yeas 29, Nays 0, one
present not voting; the Senate concurred in House amendment on
May 17, 2001, by the following vote: Yeas 30, Nays 0, one present
not voting; May 22, 2001, the Senate adopted S.C.R. No. 69,
requesting the return of S.B. No. 1057 to the Senate for further
consideration; May 25, 2001, the Senate refused to concur in House
amendment and requested appointment of Conference Committee;
May 25, 2001, House granted request of the Senate; May 27, 2001,
Senate adopted Conference Committee Report by the following vote:
Yeas 30, Nays 0, one present not voting.
_______________________________
Secretary of the Senate
I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1057 passed the House with
amendment on May 8, 2001, by the following vote: Yeas 147, Nays 0,
two present not voting; May 23, 2001, the House adopted
S.C.R. No. 69, requesting the return of S.B. No. 1057 to the Senate
for further consideration; May 25, 2001, House granted request of
the Senate for appointment of Conference Committee; May 26, 2001,
House adopted Conference Committee Report by the following vote:
Yeas 124, Nays 21, one present not voting.
_______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House
Approved:
_______________________________
Date
_______________________________
Governor