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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to a study and report regarding tuition and fee exemptions |
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for certain military personnel and their dependents. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Subchapter D, Chapter 54, Education Code, is |
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amended by adding Section 54.3411 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 54.3411. STUDY REGARDING TUITION AND FEE EXEMPTIONS |
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FOR CERTAIN MILITARY PERSONNEL AND DEPENDENTS. (a) The Legislative |
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Budget Board, in consultation with the Texas Higher Education |
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Coordinating Board and the Texas Veterans Commission, as the |
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Legislative Budget Board considers necessary, shall study and |
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evaluate the tuition and fee exemptions provided under Section |
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54.341. In the study, the Legislative Budget Board shall consider |
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any available historical data and the projected data regarding |
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recipients of the exemptions provided under Section 54.341, |
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disaggregated by veteran, dependent, spouse, and legacy recipient, |
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for each of the following categories of information: |
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(1) the total number of recipients, disaggregated by |
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gender, race and ethnicity, institution, and socioeconomic |
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background as indicated in the Free Application for Federal Student |
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Aid (FAFSA); |
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(2) the number of undergraduate, graduate, and |
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doctoral credit hours attempted and earned by semester; |
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(3) the number of degrees attempted and earned, and |
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the associated semester credit hours required for those degrees, |
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per recipient; |
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(4) the grade point average of recipients after |
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completing the first, second, third, and fourth academic years, and |
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subsequent academic years, as applicable, and to the extent allowed |
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under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (20 |
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U.S.C. Section 1232q); |
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(5) the average time to graduation; |
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(6) the four-year and six-year graduation rates, |
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retention rates, and noncompletion rates; |
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(7) the number of semester credit hours of |
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developmental education courses attempted and earned by |
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recipients; |
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(8) the proportion of federal education benefits, |
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including veteran and non-veteran benefits, and of the exemption |
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provided under Section 54.341, used for undergraduate, graduate, |
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and doctoral semester credit hours attempted and earned by |
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recipients; and |
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(9) the average cost of tuition and mandatory fees for |
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an undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral recipient enrolled in a |
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full course load at an institution of higher education compared to |
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the average cost for a nonrecipient student enrolled in a full |
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course load at the same institution for the same degree level. |
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(b) To the greatest extent possible: |
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(1) the Legislative Budget Board shall: |
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(A) include in its study a review of all federal |
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education benefits for veterans in order to comprehensively review |
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the sustainability of state and federal benefits for veterans; and |
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(B) use applicable data from the 2008-2009 |
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academic year or a more recent academic year as a baseline in the |
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study; and |
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(2) institutions of higher education shall cooperate |
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with the Legislative Budget Board by providing any requested data |
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and ensuring the reliability and validity of the data collected and |
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submitted for the purpose of the study. |
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(c) Not later than December 1, 2014, the Legislative Budget |
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Board shall submit to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating |
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Board, the Texas Veterans Commission, the governor, the lieutenant |
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governor, and the speaker of the house of representatives a written |
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report of the results of the study conducted under this section, |
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together with any recommendations for legislative or |
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administrative action, including any changes to eligibility |
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criteria or other changes necessary to promote sustainability, |
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fiscal efficiency, and effectiveness in the use of the exemption |
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provided under Section 54.341. A recommendation included in the |
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report must include an explanation of the basis for that |
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recommendation. |
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(d) This section expires January 31, 2015. |
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SECTION 2. 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, 2013. |