SRC-AMY H.B. 405 78(R)   BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research Center   H.B. 405
78R2276 JRJ-DBy: Miller (Fraser)
Veteran Affairs & Military Installations
5/1/2003
Engrossed


DIGEST AND PURPOSE 

Currently, Texas law allows a spouse or children of a member of the Armed
Forces of the United States to receive in-state residency status for
college tuition purposes.  However, if the member of the Armed Forces is
transferred out of Texas or deployed overseas, the spouse or child could
lose residency status and have to pay significantly higher tuition bills.
H.B. 405 provides that a child or spouse of a member of the Armed Forces
who has served in Texas for six month is required to receive in-state
tuition as long as the spouse or child resides continuously in Texas. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to
a state officer, institution, or agency. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Sections 54.058(c), (d), (f), and (g), Education Code,
as follows: 

(c) Authorizes the spouse or child, of a member of the Armed Forces of the
United States assigned to duty elsewhere immediately following duty in
Texas for entitlement to instate tuition as long as the spouse or child
resides continuously in Texas. 

(d) Specifies that a spouse or dependent child of a member of the Armed
Forces of the United States, who is not, but has been, assigned to duty in
Texas for six months, is entitled to in-state tuition for any term or
semester, rather than a term or semester, at an institution of higher
education under certain circumstances. 

(f) Specifies that the spouse or child, rather than children, of a member
of the Armed Forces who dies or is killed  is entitled to in-state tuition
if the spouse or child becomes a resident of Texas within 60 days of the
date of the service member's death. 

(g) Makes conforming and nonsubstantive changes.

SECTION 2.  Provides that this Act applies beginning with tuition charged
for the 2003 fall semester. 

SECTION 3.  Effective date:  upon passage or September 1, 2003.