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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to tuition and laboratory fee exemptions at public |
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institutions of higher education for certain volunteer |
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firefighters enrolled in fire science courses. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 54.208, Education Code, is amended to |
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read as follows: |
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Sec. 54.208. FIREFIGHTERS [FIREMEN] ENROLLED IN FIRE |
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SCIENCE COURSES. (a) The governing board of an institution of |
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higher education [boards of the state institutions of collegiate
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rank supported in whole or in part by public funds] shall exempt |
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from the payment of tuition and laboratory fees any student |
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enrolled in one or more courses offered as part of a fire science |
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curriculum who: |
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(1) [person who] is employed as a firefighter |
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[fireman] by a [any] political subdivision of this [the] state; or |
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(2) is an active member of an organized volunteer fire |
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department in this state, as defined by the fire fighters' pension |
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commissioner, who holds: |
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(A) an Accredited Advanced level of |
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certification, or an equivalent successor certification, under the |
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State Firemen's and Fire Marshals' Association of Texas volunteer |
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certification program; or |
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(B) Phase V (Firefighter II) certification, or an |
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equivalent successor certification, under the Texas Commission on |
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Fire Protection's voluntary certification program under Section |
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419.071, Government Code [and who enrolls in a course or courses
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offered as part of a fire science curriculum]. |
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(b) An [The] exemption provided under this section does not |
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apply to deposits that [which] may be required in the nature of |
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security for the return or proper care of property loaned for the |
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use of students. |
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(c) Notwithstanding Subsection (a), a student who for a |
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semester or term at an institution of higher education receives an |
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exemption under this section may continue to receive the exemption |
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for a subsequent semester or term at any institution only if the |
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student makes satisfactory academic progress toward a degree or |
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certificate at that institution as determined by the institution |
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for purposes of financial aid. |
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(d) Notwithstanding Subsection (a), the exemption provided |
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under this section does not apply to any amount of additional |
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tuition the institution elects to charge a resident undergraduate |
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student under Section 54.014(a) or (f). |
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(e) Notwithstanding Subsection (a), the exemption provided |
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under this section does not apply to any amount of tuition the |
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institution charges a graduate student in excess of the amount of |
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tuition charged to similarly situated graduate students because the |
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student has a number of semester credit hours of doctoral work in |
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excess of the applicable number provided by Section 61.059(l)(1) or |
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(2). |
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(f) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall |
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adopt: |
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(1) rules governing the granting or denial of an |
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exemption under this section, including rules relating to the |
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determination of a student's eligibility for an exemption; and |
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(2) a uniform listing of degree programs covered by |
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the exemption under this section. |
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SECTION 2. A student who received an exemption under |
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Section 54.208, Education Code, before the 2009 fall semester may |
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continue to receive the exemption under the provisions of that |
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section as it existed immediately before the effective date of this |
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Act as long as the student remains enrolled in the same degree or |
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certificate program and is otherwise eligible to continue to |
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receive the exemption under that former law. |
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SECTION 3. The changes in law made by this Act to Section |
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54.208, Education Code, apply beginning with tuition and laboratory |
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fees charged for the 2009 fall semester. Tuition and laboratory |
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fees charged for an academic period before the 2009 fall semester |
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are covered by the law in effect immediately before the effective |
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date of this Act, and the former law is continued in effect for that |
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purpose. |
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SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |
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