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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to giving priority to United States citizens and permanent |
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resident aliens in awarding state-funded student financial |
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assistance. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Subchapter Z, Chapter 51, Education Code, is |
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amended by adding Section 51.954 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 51.954. PRIORITY FOR CITIZENS AND PERMANENT RESIDENTS |
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IN AWARDING STATE-FUNDED STUDENT FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE. (a) |
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Notwithstanding any other provision of this title, if for any |
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semester or other academic term the amount of money available for a |
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state-funded program that provides financial assistance, including |
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scholarships or loan repayments, to students for use in attending a |
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public or private institution of higher education is insufficient |
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to provide the financial assistance to all eligible applicants in |
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amounts authorized under the program, program money must first be |
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distributed to eligible applicants who are United States citizens |
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or permanent resident aliens in the total maximum amount that may be |
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distributed under the program to those applicants, based on the |
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number of those applicants and applicable program requirements and |
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limitations, before any program money may be distributed to an |
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eligible applicant who is not a United States citizen or permanent |
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resident alien. |
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(b) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall |
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adopt rules as necessary to administer this section. |
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SECTION 2. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board |
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shall adopt any rules necessary under Section 51.954, Education |
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Code, as added by this Act, as soon as practicable after this Act |
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takes effect. For that purpose, the coordinating board may adopt |
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the initial rules in the manner provided by law for emergency rules. |
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SECTION 3. Section 51.954, Education Code, as added by this |
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Act, applies beginning with state-funded student financial |
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assistance for the 2013 fall semester, except that that section |
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does not affect the amount of any student financial assistance |
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awarded before the effective date of this Act. |
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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, 2013. |