|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
relating to creation of the Texas Armed Services Scholarship |
|
Program. |
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
SECTION 1. Chapter 56, Education Code, is amended by adding |
|
Subchapter R to read as follows: |
|
SUBCHAPTER R. TEXAS ARMED SERVICES SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM |
|
Sec. 56.501. PROGRAM NAME. The scholarship program |
|
authorized by this subchapter is known as the Texas Armed Services |
|
Scholarship Program. |
|
Sec. 56.502. ARMED SERVICES SCHOLARSHIPS. (a) Armed |
|
services scholarships are annual conditional scholarship grants of |
|
$15,000 available for use at any public or private institution of |
|
higher education located in this state having a Reserve Officer |
|
Training Corps (ROTC) program, conditioned on certain obligations |
|
to which the recipient is committed detailed at Section 56.504. |
|
(b) Any amount paid to a student for being under contract |
|
with one of the branches of the armed services of the United States |
|
shall be deducted from the armed services scholarship. |
|
Sec. 56.503. POWERS OF APPOINTMENT. The governor, the |
|
lieutenant governor, the members of the Texas Senate, and the |
|
members of the Texas House of Representatives shall each |
|
individually have the power annually to appoint two recipients of |
|
armed services scholarships who possess the requisite |
|
qualifications for the scholarship. |
|
Sec. 56.504. QUALIFICATIONS. In order to qualify for an |
|
armed services scholarship, a student must: |
|
(1) meet minimum college entrance requirements at a |
|
public or private institution of higher education located in this |
|
state; and |
|
(2) attend, meet, and maintain the satisfactory |
|
academic progress requirements of the student's public or private |
|
institution of higher education. |
|
Sec. 56.505. COMMITMENTS. In order to fulfill the |
|
student's commitments to the armed services scholarship program, he |
|
or she must: |
|
(1) complete four years of ROTC training, and graduate |
|
within five years; |
|
(2) upon graduation, enter into either a four-year |
|
commitment to be a member of the Texas State Guard or the Texas Army |
|
or Air Force National Guard, or a contract to serve as a |
|
commissioned officer with any branch of the armed services of the |
|
United States; and |
|
(3) meet the physical examination requirements and all |
|
other prescreening requirements of the Texas State Guard, the Texas |
|
Army or Air Force National Guard, or the branch of the armed |
|
services with which the student enters into a contract. |
|
Sec. 56.506. CONSEQUENCES OF FAILURE TO MEET COMMITMENTS. |
|
If at any time a recipient of an armed services scholarship either |
|
fails to maintain satisfactory academic progress, withdraws from |
|
the scholarship program, or fails to fulfill his or her commitment |
|
to the Texas State Guard or the Texas Army or Air Force National |
|
Guard or his or her contract with a branch of the armed services of |
|
the United States, for any reason other than a physical inability to |
|
meet any of these commitments, all funds advanced to the recipient |
|
to that point under the armed services scholarship program shall |
|
become a debt due and owing to the State of Texas. |
|
Sec. 56.507. FUNDING. (a) The Texas Higher Education |
|
Coordinating Board may solicit and accept gifts, grants, and |
|
donations from any public or private source for the purposes of this |
|
subchapter. |
|
(b) The legislature may appropriate money for the purpose of |
|
this subchapter. |
|
Sec. 56.508. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY. The Texas Higher |
|
Education Coordinating Board shall have authority to make rules to |
|
implement the purposes of this subchapter. |
|
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |