BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Research Center H.B. 1250
80R5487 JRJ-D By: Howard, Charlie, Aycock (Patrick)
AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
Texas leads the nation in the number of home school families. In 1994, the Texas Supreme Court upheld a lower court decision from 1987 confirming that home schools in Texas are private schools. Home school is the tutorial method of education and has been proven successful by numerous studies.
The American College Testing Organization, which administers the ACT college entrance exam, has noted that Texas home school graduates as a group scored higher than the state average for several consecutive years.
Texas home school graduates have scored perfect 1600 scores on SAT college entrance exams. These students, however, are not eligible for a scholarship from the TEXAS Grant fund or the B- On-time Loan Program. H.B. 944 of the 78th Legislature, Regular Session, 2003, requires that state-supported colleges and universities treat home school graduates on the same basis as public school graduates for purposes of college admission.
H.B. 1250 amends the eligibility requirements for certain public higher education scholarship and loan programs so that home school graduates are eligible for those scholarships and loans.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to any state officer, institution, or agency.
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Section 56.304(a), Education Code, as follows:
(a) Amends the academic requirement for the TEXAS Grant, to require a person eligible for the grant to be a graduate of a public or private high school, rather than a public or accredited private high school, and to have completed the recommended or advanced high school curriculum established under Section 28.025 (High School Diploma and Certificate; Academic Achievement Record), rather than Section 28.002 (Required Curriculum), or its equivalent.
SECTION 2. Amends Section 56.455, Education Code, as follows:
Section 56.455. INITIAL ELIGIBILITY FOR LOAN. Amends the academic requirement for the Texas B-On-time loan so that a student eligible for the loan is required to graduate under the recommended or advance high school program established under Section 28.025(a) or its equivalent. Makes a conforming change.
SECTION 3. Makes application of the changes to Sections 56.304(a) and 56.455, Education Code, prospective to the 2008-2009 academic year.
SECTION 4. Effective date: September 1, 2007.