S.B. No. 1720
 
 
 
 
AN ACT
  relating to the Math and Science Scholars Loan Repayment Program
  for teachers who agree to teach mathematics or science in certain
  school districts in this state.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding
  Subchapter II to read as follows:
  SUBCHAPTER II.  MATH AND SCIENCE SCHOLARS LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM
         Sec. 61.9831.  LOAN REPAYMENT ASSISTANCE AUTHORIZED. The
  board shall provide, in accordance with this subchapter and board
  rules, assistance in the repayment of eligible student loans for
  eligible persons who agree to teach mathematics or science for a
  specified period in school districts that receive federal funding
  under Title I, Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20
  U.S.C. Section 6301 et seq.).
         Sec. 61.9832.  ELIGIBILITY; AGREEMENT REQUIREMENTS.
  (a)  To be eligible to receive loan repayment assistance under this
  subchapter, a person must:
               (1)  apply annually for the loan repayment assistance
  in the manner prescribed by the board;
               (2)  be a United States citizen;
               (3)  have completed an undergraduate or graduate
  program in mathematics or science;
               (4)  have a cumulative grade point average of at least
  3.5 on a four-point scale or the equivalent;
               (5)  be certified under Subchapter B, Chapter 21, to
  teach mathematics or science in a public school in this state or be
  enrolled in an educator preparation program to obtain that
  certification that is accredited by the State Board for Educator
  Certification and is provided by an institution of higher education
  or by a private or independent institution of higher education in
  this state;
               (6)  have been employed for at least one year as a
  teacher teaching mathematics or science at a public school located
  in a school district that receives funding under Title I,
  Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. Section
  6301 et seq.);
               (7)  not be in default on any other education loan;
               (8)  not receive any other state or federal loan
  repayment assistance, including a Teacher Education Assistance for
  College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant or teacher loan
  forgiveness;
               (9)  enter into an agreement with the board under
  Subsection (c); and
               (10)  comply with any other requirement adopted by the
  board under this subchapter.
         (b)  An initial application for loan repayment assistance
  under this subchapter must include a transcript of the applicant's
  postsecondary coursework.
         (c)  To receive loan repayment assistance under this
  subchapter, a person must enter into an agreement with the board
  that includes the following provisions:
               (1)  the person will accept an offer of full-time
  employment to teach mathematics or science, as applicable based on
  the person's certification, in a public school located in a school
  district that receives funding under Title I, Elementary and
  Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. Section 6301 et seq.);
               (2)  the person will complete four consecutive years of
  employment as a full-time classroom teacher in a school described
  by Subdivision (1) whose primary duty is to teach mathematics or
  science, as applicable, based on the person's certification;
               (3)  beginning with the school year immediately
  following the last of the four consecutive school years described
  by Subdivision (2), the person will complete four additional
  consecutive school years teaching in any public school in this
  state; and
               (4)  the person acknowledges the conditional nature of
  the loan repayment assistance.
         (d)  To satisfy the teaching obligation prescribed by an
  agreement under this section, a person must teach mathematics or
  science courses for not less than an average of four hours each
  school day.
         Sec. 61.9833.  AWARD.  (a)  Except as provided by Section
  61.9834, the board shall determine the annual amount of loan
  assistance payments provided under this subchapter in any year to
  an eligible person, taking into consideration the amount of
  available funding and other relevant considerations.
         (b)  The board shall reduce the amount of a single assistance
  payment or refrain from making a loan assistance payment to an
  eligible person as necessary to avoid making total payments under
  this subchapter to the person in an amount greater than the total
  amount of principal and interest due on the person's eligible
  loans.
         Sec. 61.9834.  EXCEPTION TO CONSECUTIVE YEARS OF EMPLOYMENT
  REQUIREMENT. The board shall excuse an otherwise eligible person
  from a requirement imposed by Section 61.9832 that the employment
  qualifying the person for loan repayment assistance be performed in
  consecutive years if the break in employment is a result of the
  person's:
               (1)  full-time enrollment in a course of study related
  to the field of teaching that is approved by the State Board for
  Educator Certification and provided by an institution of higher
  education or by a private or independent institution of higher
  education in this state;
               (2)  service on active duty as a member of the armed
  forces of the United States, including as a member of a reserve or
  National Guard unit called for active duty;
               (3)  temporary total disability for a period of not
  more than 36 months as established by the affidavit of a qualified
  physician;
               (4)  inability to secure employment as required by
  Section 61.9832 for a period not to exceed 12 months, because of
  care required by a disabled spouse or child;
               (5)  inability, despite reasonable efforts, to secure,
  for a single period not to exceed 12 months, employment as required
  by Section 61.9832; or
               (6)  satisfaction of the provisions of any other
  exception adopted by the board for purposes of this section.
         Sec. 61.9835.  ELIGIBLE LOANS. (a)  The board may provide
  repayment assistance under this subchapter for the repayment of any
  student loan that:
               (1)  is for education at a public or private
  institution of higher education; and
               (2)  is received by an eligible person through an
  eligible lender.
         (b)  If the loan is not a state or federal guaranteed student
  loan, the note or other writing governing the terms of the loan must
  require the loan proceeds to be used for expenses incurred by a
  person in attending a postsecondary educational institution.
         (c)  The board may not provide loan repayment assistance
  under this subchapter for a student loan that is in default at the
  time of the person's application for repayment assistance.
         Sec. 61.9836.  PAYMENT OF ASSISTANCE. (a)  The board shall
  pay any loan repayment assistance under this subchapter in a lump
  sum delivered on the eligible person's behalf directly to the
  holder of the loan.
         (b)  Loan repayment assistance provided under this
  subchapter may be applied to any amount due on the loan.
         (c)  Each fiscal biennium, the board shall attempt to
  allocate all money available to the board for the purpose of
  providing loan repayment assistance under this subchapter.
         Sec. 61.9837.  MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE TEACHER INVESTMENT
  FUND. (a)  In this section, "fund" means the mathematics and
  science teacher investment fund.
         (b)  The fund is a dedicated account in the general revenue
  fund and consists of:
               (1)  gifts, grants, and other donations received for
  the fund; and
               (2)  interest and other earnings from the investment of
  the fund.
         (c)  The fund may be used only to provide repayment
  assistance for the repayment of loans eligible under Section
  61.9835, including related administrative costs.
         (d)  The fund is exempt from the application of Sections
  403.095 and 404.071, Government Code.
         (e)  The board may accept grants, gifts, or donations from
  any public or private entity for the purposes of this subchapter.
  All money received under this subchapter shall be deposited in the
  fund.
         (f)  The legislature may not appropriate general revenue to
  the fund.
         Sec. 61.9838.  AMOUNT OF LOAN REPAYMENT ASSISTANCE.
  (a)  The total amount of loan repayment assistance paid by the
  board under this subchapter may not exceed the total amount of money
  available in the fund under Section 61.9837.
         (b)  Not more than 4,000 eligible persons may be provided
  loan repayment assistance under this subchapter in any school year.
         (b-1)  This subsection expires January 1, 2020.
  Notwithstanding Subsection (b), not more than the following number
  of eligible persons may be provided loan repayment assistance under
  this subchapter in the specified school year:
               (1)  in the 2016-2017 school year, not more than 1,000
  eligible persons may be provided loan repayment assistance;
               (2)  in the 2017-2018 school year, not more than 2,000
  eligible persons may be provided loan repayment assistance; and
               (3)  in the 2018-2019 school year, not more than 3,000
  eligible persons may be provided loan repayment assistance.
         (c)  If in any year the amount of money available for loan
  repayment assistance under this subchapter is insufficient to
  provide loan repayment assistance to each eligible applicant or if
  there are more eligible applicants than the number authorized by
  this section, the board shall establish criteria to determine which
  eligible applicants will be provided repayment assistance as the
  board determines appropriate to further the purposes of this
  subchapter.
         (d)  Only available money in the mathematics and science
  teacher investment fund may be used for loan repayment assistance
  under this subchapter.
         Sec. 61.9839.  REPAYMENT BASED ON CONTINUING EMPLOYMENT.
  (a)  An eligible person may continue to receive loan repayment
  assistance if the person continues to teach in a public school
  described by Section 61.9832(a)(7) after the first four years
  required for eligibility under Section 61.9832(c)(2).
         (b)  If an eligible person transfers to a public school
  located in a school district that does not receive funding under
  Title I, Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
  Section 6301 et seq.), after the first four years required for
  eligibility under Section 61.9832(c)(2), the person may not receive
  more than 75 percent of the maximum annual amount of the loan
  repayment assistance as determined by the board.
         (c)  A person who does not satisfy the applicable conditions
  of this subchapter after establishing eligibility for an award of
  loan repayment assistance under this subchapter is no longer
  eligible to apply for such assistance.
         Sec. 61.9840.  RULES. The board shall adopt rules necessary
  for the administration of this subchapter, including a rule
  providing for:
               (1)  the manner in which a person may apply for loan
  repayment assistance; and
               (2)  a method of awarding assistance under this
  subchapter that:
                     (A)  gives first priority to applicants who are
  renewing their applications for loan repayment assistance provided
  under this subchapter; and
                     (B)  awards any remaining available assistance
  according to a cumulative ranking system developed by the board
  based on the number of mathematics and science courses completed by
  the applicant and the grade received by the applicant for each of
  those courses.
         Sec. 61.9841.  APPLICATION FORM. (a)  The board shall by
  rule adopt a common application form for use by new applicants and
  renewal applicants.
         (b)  The form must include a section in which the school
  district for which the applicant has taught for at least one year
  verifies the applicant's year of employment.
         SECTION 2.  The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
  shall begin providing loan repayment assistance under Subchapter
  II, Chapter 61, Education Code, as added by this Act, for eligible
  persons teaching in the 2016-2017 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.
 
 
 
 
 
  ______________________________ ______________________________
     President of the Senate Speaker of the House     
 
         I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1720 passed the Senate on
  May 8, 2013, by the following vote: Yeas 30, Nays 0; and that the
  Senate concurred in House amendment on May 25, 2013, by the
  following vote: Yeas 30, Nays 0.
 
 
  ______________________________
  Secretary of the Senate    
 
         I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1720 passed the House, with
  amendment, on May 22, 2013, by the following vote: Yeas 142,
  Nays 6, two present not voting.
 
 
  ______________________________
  Chief Clerk of the House   
 
 
 
  Approved:
 
  ______________________________ 
              Date
 
 
  ______________________________ 
            Governor