S.B. No. 1159

AN ACT

relating to higher education for certain military personnel and their dependents.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. This Act shall be known as Andrew's Law.

SECTION 2. Subchapter W, Chapter 51, Education Code, is amended by adding Section 51.844 to read as follows:

Sec. 51.844. READMISSION OF CERTAIN MILITARY PERSONNEL TO GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL PROGRAMS. (a) This section applies only to a person who:

(1) was previously offered admission to, or was enrolled in, a graduate program or professional program at a general academic teaching institution or medical and dental unit;

(2) did not initially enroll in the program, or withdrew from the program, as applicable, because of the person's deployment as a member of the armed forces of the United States serving on active duty for the purpose of engaging in a combative military operation outside the United States; and

(3) seeks readmission to the program following the person's military deployment under Subdivision (2).

(b) A general academic teaching institution or a medical and dental unit must, regardless of the time since the person was initially offered admission to, or withdrew from, the program, as applicable:

(1) readmit a person to whom this section applies to the applicable graduate or professional program;

(2) apply credit toward the program for any course work previously completed by the person under the program; and

(3) accept a standardized test score previously submitted by that person for admission to the program.

SECTION 3. Subchapter D, Chapter 54, Education Code, is amended by adding Section 54.3411 to read as follows:

Sec. 54.3411. STUDY REGARDING TUITION AND FEE EXEMPTIONS FOR CERTAIN MILITARY PERSONNEL AND DEPENDENTS. (a) The Legislative Budget Board, in consultation with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Texas Veterans Commission, shall study and evaluate federal education benefits and the tuition and fee exemptions provided under Section 54.341. In the study, the Legislative Budget Board shall consider any available historical data and the projected data regarding recipients of the exemptions provided under Section 54.341, disaggregated by veteran, dependent, spouse, and legacy recipient, for each of the following categories of information:

(1) the total number of recipients, disaggregated by gender, race and ethnicity, institution, and socioeconomic background as indicated in the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA);

(2) the number of undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral credit hours attempted and earned by semester;

(3) the number of degrees attempted and earned, and the associated semester credit hours required for those degrees, per recipient;

(4) the grade point average of recipients after completing the first, second, third, and fourth academic years, and subsequent academic years, as applicable, and to the extent allowed under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (20 U.S.C. Section 1232g);

(5) the average time to graduation;

(6) the four-year and six-year graduation rates, retention rates, and noncompletion rates;

(7) the number of semester credit hours of developmental education courses attempted and earned by recipients;

(8) the proportion of federal education benefits, including veteran and non-veteran benefits, and of the exemption provided under Section 54.341, used for undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral semester credit hours attempted and earned by recipients; and

(9) the average cost of tuition and mandatory fees for an undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral recipient enrolled in a full course load at an institution of higher education compared to the average cost for a nonrecipient student enrolled in a full course load at the same institution for the same degree level.

(b) To the greatest extent possible:

(1) the Legislative Budget Board shall:

(A) include in its study a review of all federal education benefits for veterans in order to comprehensively review the sustainability of state and federal benefits for veterans; and

(B) use applicable data from the 2008-2009 academic year or a more recent academic year as a baseline in the study; and

(2) institutions of higher education shall cooperate with the Legislative Budget Board by providing any requested data and ensuring the reliability and validity of the data collected and submitted for the purpose of the study.

(c) Not later than December 1, 2014, the Legislative Budget Board shall submit to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, the Texas Veterans Commission, the governor, the lieutenant governor, and the speaker of the house of representatives a written report of the results of the study conducted under this section, together with any recommendations for legislative or administrative action, including any changes to eligibility criteria or other changes necessary to promote sustainability, fiscal efficiency, and effectiveness in the use of the exemption provided under Section 54.341. A recommendation included in the report must include an explanation of the basis for that recommendation.

(d) This section expires January 31, 2015.

SECTION 4. 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.

______________________________ ______________________________

President of the Senate Speaker of the House

I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1159 passed the Senate on April 18, 2013, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0; and that the Senate concurred in House amendments on May 25, 2013, by the following vote: Yeas 30, Nays 0.

______________________________ Secretary of the Senate

I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1159 passed the House, with amendments, on May 22, 2013, by the following vote: Yeas 148, Nays 0, two present not voting.

______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House

Approved:

______________________________

Date

______________________________

Governor