BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 1504

By: Zaffirini

Appropriations

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

There have been calls for the state to ensure that an eligible institution of higher education that receives an appropriation of money remaining in the B-On-Time student loan account following abolition of that account uses the money for a purpose consistent with the overarching goal of 60x30TX, the state's higher education plan. S.B. 1504 seeks to ensure that such an institution uses any such appropriation for supporting efforts to increase the number of at-risk graduates or the graduation rates of at-risk students.

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. 1504 amends the Education Code to postpone from September 1, 2020, to September 1, 2021, the date on which the Texas B-On-Time student loan account is abolished. The bill limits the purposes for which an eligible institution of higher education that receives an appropriation of money from the account after it is abolished may use that money to the purpose of supporting efforts to increase the number of at-risk students who graduate from the institution or the rate at which at-risk students graduate from the institution. The bill defines "at-risk student" as an undergraduate student of an institution of higher education who has previously received a federal Pell Grant or met the expected family contribution criterion for a grant under that program or whose total score on the SAT or the ACT, excluding the optional essay test, is less than the national mean score of students' scores on the applicable test.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2019.