H.B. No. 2026
 
 
 
 
AN ACT
  relating to the Rural Veterinarian Incentive Program.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 56.101(7), Education Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
               (7)  "Rural county" means a county in this state with a
  population of less than 150,000 [100,000].
         SECTION 2.  Section 56.105(b), Education Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         (b)  To participate as a sponsor in the program, the
  community or political subdivision must enter into an agreement
  with the eligible participant to provide financial support to the
  eligible participant in an amount not less than the tuition and fees
  required for a full academic year for a student enrolled in a [the]
  college in exchange for the eligible participant's agreement to
  practice veterinary medicine in the sponsoring community or
  political subdivision.
         SECTION 3.  Sections 56.106(a) and (b), Education Code, are
  amended to read as follows:
         (a)  To participate in the program, an eligible participant
  must enter into an agreement with the Texas Higher Education
  Coordinating Board [university system] that:
               (1)  requires the participant to practice veterinary
  medicine in a rural county for one calendar year for each academic
  year for which the participant receives financial support under the
  program;
               (2)  specifies the conditions the participant must
  satisfy to receive financial support under the program;
               (3)  provides that any financial support the
  participant receives under the program constitutes a loan until the
  participant satisfies the conditions of the agreement; and
               (4)  requires the participant to sign a promissory note
  acknowledging the conditional nature of the financial support
  received under the program and promising to repay the amount of the
  financial support, any applicable interest, and reasonable
  collection costs if the participant does not satisfy the conditions
  of the agreement.
         (b)  The financial support received by an eligible
  participant under this subchapter must be used to retire student
  loan debt or to pay tuition and fees to a college [the university
  system] while the eligible participant is enrolled in the college.
         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, 2023.
 
 
  ______________________________ ______________________________
     President of the Senate Speaker of the House     
 
 
         I certify that H.B. No. 2026 was passed by the House on May 2,
  2023, by the following vote:  Yeas 112, Nays 33, 1 present, not
  voting; that the House refused to concur in Senate amendments to
  H.B. No. 2026 on May 23, 2023, and requested the appointment of a
  conference committee to consider the differences between the two
  houses; and that the House adopted the conference committee report
  on H.B. No. 2026 on May 28, 2023, by the following vote:  Yeas 118,
  Nays 26, 2 present, not voting.
 
  ______________________________
  Chief Clerk of the House   
 
         I certify that H.B. No. 2026 was passed by the Senate, with
  amendments, on May 18, 2023, by the following vote:  Yeas 27, Nays
  4; at the request of the House, the Senate appointed a conference
  committee to consider the differences between the two houses; and
  that the Senate adopted the conference committee report on H.B. No.
  2026 on May 27, 2023, by the following vote:  Yeas 27, Nays 4.
 
  ______________________________
  Secretary of the Senate   
  APPROVED: __________________
                  Date       
   
           __________________
                Governor