By: Deuell  S.B. No. 453
         (In the Senate - Filed February 8, 2013; February 13, 2013,
  read first time and referred to Committee on Education;
  March 20, 2013, reported favorably by the following vote:  Yeas 9,
  Nays 0; March 20, 2013, sent to printer.)
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
 
  relating to payment of tuition to attend public schools for
  students holding certain United States student visas.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Subchapter A, Chapter 25, Education Code, is
  amended by adding Section 25.0031 to read as follows:
         Sec. 25.0031.  TUITION FOR STUDENTS HOLDING CERTAIN STUDENT
  VISAS. (a)  Notwithstanding any other provision of this code, if a
  student is required, as a condition of obtaining or holding the
  appropriate United States student visa, to pay tuition to the
  school district or open-enrollment charter school that the student
  attends to cover the cost of the student's education provided by the
  district or charter school, the district or charter school shall
  accept tuition for the student in an amount equal to the full
  unsubsidized per capita cost of providing the student's education
  for the period of the student's attendance at school in the district
  or at the charter school.
         (b)  The commissioner shall, for purposes of Subsection (a),
  develop guidelines for determining the amount of the full
  unsubsidized per capita cost of providing a student's education. A
  school district or open-enrollment charter school may not accept
  tuition in an amount greater than the amount computed under the
  commissioner's guidelines unless the commissioner approves a
  greater amount as a more accurate reflection of the cost of
  education to be provided by the district or charter school.
         (c)  Notwithstanding any other provision of this code, the
  attendance of a student for whom a school district or
  open-enrollment charter school accepts tuition under this section
  is not counted for purposes of allocating state funds to the
  district or charter school.
         SECTION 2.  This Act applies beginning with the 2013-2014
  school year.
         SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
  a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
  provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
  Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
  Act takes effect September 1, 2013.
 
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