BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

Senate Research Center                                                                                                      S.B. 2244

                                                                                                                                        By: Zaffirini

                                                                                                                                Higher Education

                                                                                                                                            9/23/2009

                                                                                                                                              Enrolled

 

 

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

 

Current statutes authorize the use of in-state tuition for economic development and as a motivator for parents to reside in Texas, but these statutes lack a time limit and do not focus on businesses that are new to Texas. 

 

S.B. 2244 amends current law relating to the eligibility of employees of certain businesses or organizations established as part of the state's economic development program and of dependents of those employees to pay resident tuition at public institutions of higher education.

 

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 Section 54.066, Education Code, as follows:

 

Sec. 54.066.  ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND DIVERSIFICATION.  (a)  Creates this subsection from existing text.  Entitles a person who registers at an institution of higher education without having established resident status in this state under Section 54.052 (Applicability of Chapter) to pay tuition and required fees at the rate provided for residents of this state if the person or, as determined by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) rule, an adult member of the person's family who resides in the person's household and is a primary caretaker of the person establishes by the institution's enrollment date a residence in this state as a result of the person's or caretaker's employment by a business or organization that, not earlier than five years before the enrollment date, became established in this state as part of the program of state economic development and diversification authorized by the law of this state. 

 

(b)  Requires THECB, in consultation with the Texas Economic Development and Tourism Office, to establish procedures to determine whether a business or organization meets the requirements of this section, and the date on which the business or organization became established in this state as part of the program of state economic development and diversification. 

 

SECTION 2.  Makes application of this Act prospective beginning with tuition and required fees for the fall 2010 semester. 

 

SECTION 3.   Effective date: January 1, 2010.