BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 49

By: Zaffirini

Defense & Veterans' Affairs

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Interested parties suggest that officials who make appointments to the Texas armed services scholarship program should have more flexibility if a scholarship recipient fails to meet initial eligibility requirements to receive the scholarship. S.B. 49 seeks to address this issue by authorizing an appointing official to appoint alternate recipients for such a scholarship. 

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

S.B. 49 amends the Education Code to authorize the governor and the lieutenant governor to each appoint two alternates to the students appointed to receive an initial scholarship under the Texas armed services scholarship program and to authorize each state senator and state representative to appoint one alternate to their initial student appointments. The bill requires the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to notify the applicable alternate on file of their nomination for such a scholarship if a student appointed to receive the scholarship fails to initially meet eligibility or otherwise meet the requirements to initially receive the scholarship.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2017.