BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	S.B. 49
85R2872 MM-D	By: Zaffirini
	Higher Education
	2/16/2017
	As Filed

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

The Texas Armed Services Scholarship Program (TASSP) was created to support and encourage students who participate in higher education ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) programs and who contract with a service branch to serve after graduation. To be awarded a scholarship, a student must meet certain criteria and be nominated by the governor, lt. governor, or his or her member of the legislature. The governor and lt. governor may nominate two students, and members may nominate one student, meaning that a total of only 185 students may receive initial awards each year.

Because only 185 students may be nominated to receive an award, the program is highly competitive, and sometimes there are more qualified students requesting nomination from a legislator than that legislator is able to nominate. If one student requests nomination first and receives an award, but does not maintain eligibility to continue to receive it, currently there is no mechanism by which the nominator can instead choose a replacement recipient. Because each legislator may only nominate one student per year, there should be a mechanism by which a nominator can designate a replacement recipient should the original recipient lose his or her award.

S.B. 49 would allow an elected official who nominated a student to receive a Texas Armed Services Scholarship to nominate another eligible student if the original student fails to maintain eligibility.

As proposed, S.B. 49 amends current law relating to the appointment by certain elected officials of students to receive a Texas Armed Services Scholarship.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Section 61.9772(b), Education Code, to authorize the elected official who appointed a student to receive a Texas Armed Services Scholarship, if the student fails to maintain eligibility or otherwise meet the requirements to continue receiving the scholarship, to appoint another eligible student to receive any available funds designated for the student originally appointed.

SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 2017.