Amend HB 3209 by adding Sec. 56.3041 to read as follows and
renumber accordingly:
SECTION 1. Subchapter M, Chapter 56, Education Code, as
added by Chapter 1590, Acts of the 76th Legislature, Regular
Session, 1999, is amended by adding Section 56.3041 to read as
follows:
Sec. 56.3041. INITIAL ELIGIBILITY OF PERSON ON TRACK TO
COMPLETE RECOMMENDED OR ADVANCED CURRICULUM. (a) If at the time an
eligible institution awards TEXAS grants to initial recipients for
an academic year an applicant has not completed high school or the
applicant's final high school transcript is not yet available to
the institution, the student is considered to have satisfied the
requirements of Section 56.304(a)(2)(A) if the student's available
high school transcript indicates that at the time the transcript
was prepared the student was on schedule to graduate from high
school and to complete the recommended or advanced high school
curriculum or its equivalent, as applicable to the student, in time
to be eligible for a TEXAS grant for the academic year.
(b) The coordinating board or the eligible institution may
require the student to forgo or repay the amount of an initial TEXAS
grant awarded to the student as described by Subsection (a) if the
student fails to complete the recommended or advanced high school
curriculum or its equivalent after the issuance of the available
high school transcript.
(c) A person who is required to forgo or repay the amount of
an initial TEXAS grant under Subsection (b) may become eligible to
receive an initial TEXAS grant under Section 56.304 by satisfying
the associate degree requirement prescribed by Section
56.304(a)(2)(B) and the other applicable requirements of that
section at the time the person reapplies for the grant.
(d) A person who receives an initial TEXAS grant under
Subsection (a) and is not required to forgo or repay the amount of
the grant under Subsection (b) may become eligible to receive a
subsequent TEXAS grant under Section 56.305 only by satisfying the
associate degree requirement prescribed by Section 56.304(a)(2)(B)
in addition to the requirements of Section 56.305 at the time the
person applies for the subsequent grant.
SECTION 2. Subsection (g), Section 56.305, Education Code,
as added by Chapter 1590, Acts of the 76th Legislature, Regular
Session, 1999, is amended to read as follows:
(g) The coordinating board shall adopt rules to allow a
person who is otherwise eligible to receive a TEXAS grant, in the
event of a hardship or for other good cause shown, including a
showing of a severe illness or other debilitating condition that
may affect the person's academic performance or that the person is
responsible for the care of a sick, injured, or needy person and
that the person's provision of care may affect the person's academic
performance, to receive a TEXAS grant:
(1) while enrolled in a number of semester credit hours
that is less than the number of semester credit hours required under
Subsection (a)(3); or
(2) if the student's grade point average or completion
rate falls below the satisfactory academic progress requirements of
Subsection (e). [The coordinating board may not allow a person to
receive a TEXAS grant while enrolled in fewer than six semester
credit hours.]
SECTION 3. Subsection (f), Section 56.307, Education Code,
as added by Chapter 1590, Acts of the 76th Legislature, Regular
Session, 1999, is amended to read as follows:
(f) The amount of a TEXAS grant may not be reduced by any
gift aid for which the person receiving the grant is eligible,
unless the total amount of a person's grant plus any gift aid
received exceeds the student's financial need [total cost of
attendance at an eligible institution].
SECTION 4. The change in law made by this Act relating to
the eligibility of a person to receive a TEXAS grant applies
beginning with students who demonstrate eligibility to receive a
grant for the 2003-2004 academic year, to the extent TEXAS grants
are awarded for that academic year after the effective date of this
Act.
SECTION 5. Section 56.3041 takes effect immediately if it
receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each
house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.
If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate
effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2003.