2023S0176-1 02/21/23
 
  By: Blanco S.B. No. 1128
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to the service of and certain benefits for members of the
  Texas military forces, including tuition assistance at
  postsecondary educational institutions.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  This Act shall be known as The Texas Guardsman
  Bill of Rights.
         SECTION 2.  Section 437.005, Government Code, is amended by
  adding Subsection (a-1) to read as follows:
         (a-1)  If the governor or adjutant general activates the
  Texas National Guard to state active duty, the order activating the
  Texas National Guard must include a defined end date for the
  activation.
         SECTION 3.  Subchapter A, Chapter 437, Government Code, is
  amended by adding Section 437.0051 to read as follows:
         Sec. 437.0051.  DWELL TIME REQUIREMENTS. (a) In this
  section:
               (1)  "Dwell time" means the period that a service
  member spends in the service member's home station between
  activations.
               (2)  "Long-term state active duty" means state active
  duty that lasts longer than 270 days.
         (b)  Except as provided by Subsection (c), the governor or
  adjutant general may not activate a member of the Texas military
  forces to long-term state active duty unless the member has been
  given dwell time as follows:
               (1)  the time required by federal law;
               (2)  12 months for a member of the state military forces
  who has served for more than 270 consecutive days on:
                     (A)  state active duty; or
                     (B)  active duty under Title 10 or Title 32,
  United States Code;
               (3)  12 months from the date of completion of initial
  entry training for a member who has completed the member's initial
  entry training; or
               (4)  24 months for a member of the state military forces
  who has had consecutive activations under the authority of any of
  the following:
                     (A)  Title 10, United States Code;
                     (B)  Title 32, United States Code; or
                     (C)  Section 437.005.
         (c)  A member of the Texas military forces may be activated
  for long-term state active duty before the expiration of the dwell
  time required by this section if the member voluntarily waives the
  requirement.
         SECTION 4.  Subchapter E, Chapter 437, Government Code, is
  amended by adding Sections 437.2125, 437.2126, 437.2127, and
  437.2128 to read as follows:
         Sec. 437.2125.  MATERNITY CONVALESCENT LEAVE. (a) A
  service member of the Texas military forces serving on state active
  duty who becomes a parent after a qualifying birth event, as defined
  by rule of the adjutant general, is entitled to not more than six
  weeks of maternity convalescent leave equivalent to the maternity
  convalescent leave provided under the federal Military Parental
  Leave Program. Leave taken under this subsection does not count
  against the service member's leave balance. A service member
  entitled to leave under this subsection may request the leave for a
  period of less than six weeks.
         (b)  A service member may request an extension of the
  maternity convalescent leave provided under Subsection (a) for an
  additional period not to exceed six weeks if:
               (1)  the service member's medical provider submits a
  written recommendation for the extension;
               (2)  the additional leave is necessary to address a
  diagnosed medical condition; and
               (3)  the service member's commanding officer approves
  the extension.
         (c)  Leave granted under this section must be taken
  immediately after a qualifying birth event, beginning on the first
  full day after the date the service member is discharged or released
  from the hospital or facility where the birth occurred. The leave
  may only be taken in one increment.
         (d)  A service member may take leave under this section
  consecutively with other leave, including primary or secondary
  caregiver leave under Section 437.2126 or 437.2127. The service
  member must take leave under this section before taking other
  leave.
         (e)  A service member may not transfer leave under this
  section to another service member.
         (f)  A service member forfeits leave granted under this
  section on separation from active service.
         (g)  A commanding officer may not disapprove a request for
  leave under Subsection (a).
         Sec. 437.2126.  PRIMARY CAREGIVER LEAVE. (a) A service
  member of the Texas military forces serving on state active duty who
  is designated as a primary caregiver in connection with a
  qualifying birth event, as defined by adjutant general rule, or
  adoption is entitled to not more than six weeks of primary caregiver
  leave equivalent to the primary caregiver leave provided under the
  federal Military Parental Leave Program. Leave taken under this
  subsection does not count against the service member's leave
  balance.
         (b)  A service member entitled to leave under this section
  may request the leave for a period of less than six weeks.
         Sec. 437.2127.  SECONDARY CAREGIVER LEAVE. (a) A service
  member of the Texas military forces serving on state active duty who
  is designated as a secondary caregiver in connection with a
  qualifying birth event, as defined by adjutant general rule, or
  adoption is entitled to not more than three weeks of secondary
  caregiver leave equivalent to the secondary caregiver leave
  provided under the federal Military Parental Leave Program. Leave
  taken under this subsection does not count against the service
  member's leave balance.
         (b)  A service member entitled to leave under this section
  may request the leave for a period of less than three weeks.
         Sec. 437.2128.  PROVISIONS APPLICABLE TO PRIMARY AND
  SECONDARY CAREGIVER LEAVE. (a) The amount of leave a service
  member is granted under Section 437.2126 or 437.2127 is reduced by
  one day for each day that maternity convalescent leave is extended
  for the service member under Section 437.2125(b).
         (b)  Leave granted under Section 437.2126 or 437.2127 must
  begin before the first anniversary of the date of the qualifying
  birth event or adoption. The leave may only be taken in one
  increment.
         (c)  A service member may take leave under Section 437.2126
  or 437.2127 consecutively with other leave, including maternity
  convalescent leave under Section 437.2125. The service member is
  required to take leave under those sections after maternity
  convalescent leave under Section 437.2125 and before any other type
  of leave.
         (d)  A service member may not transfer leave under Section
  437.2126 or 437.2127 to another service member. A service member
  may not take leave under those sections consecutively with other
  leave taken immediately before separation or retirement from
  service or consecutively with an administratively authorized
  absence of duty.
         (e)  A service member is not entitled to leave under Section
  437.2126 or 437.2127 for:
               (1)  a qualifying birth event in which the child is
  placed for adoption with another person; or
               (2)  a qualifying birth event or adoption of a child for
  whom the designated secondary caregiver's parental rights are
  terminated.
         (f)  Leave granted under Section 437.2126 or 437.2127
  terminates on the death of the child. A service member who is
  eligible for leave under those sections whose child dies while the
  service member is on the leave may be transitioned to emergency
  leave that counts against the service member's leave balance.
         (g)  A service member who separates from active state service
  forfeits leave granted under Section 437.2126 or 437.2127.
         SECTION 5.  Sections 437.226(c), (d), (e), (f), (g), and
  (i), Government Code, are amended to read as follows:
         (c)  The adjutant general shall grant assistance for tuition
  and mandatory fees under this section to eligible service members,
  in an amount not to exceed the amount provided in the General
  Appropriations Act. The adjutant general may apportion the number
  of assistance awards among the components of the Texas military
  forces necessary to meet the recruitment and retention needs of
  those components. The number of assistance awards made to members
  of the Texas State Guard may not exceed 45 [30] for any semester or
  term unless the adjutant general finds a compelling need for
  additional awards to members of the Texas State Guard.
         (d)  Assistance for tuition and mandatory fees may be awarded
  under this section for tuition and mandatory fees charged for any
  undergraduate or graduate course for any semester or term at an
  institution of higher education or private or independent
  institution of higher education, including a vocational or
  technical course.
         (e)  A service member may not receive assistance for tuition
  under this section for more than 15 [12] semester credit hours in
  any semester or term.
         (f)  A service member may not receive assistance for tuition
  and mandatory fees under this section for more than 5 academic years
  or 15 [10] semesters or terms, whichever occurs first for the
  service member.
         (g)  Before each semester or term, the department must
  certify to the appropriate public and private institutions of
  higher education a list of the service members to whom the adjutant
  general has awarded assistance for tuition and mandatory fees under
  this section for that semester or term. The amount of assistance
  awarded by the adjutant general under this section may not exceed
  the amount of money available to fund the assistance awards.
         (i)  From money appropriated for purposes of this section,
  the department shall authorize the comptroller to make a grant to a
  service member attending a private or independent institution of
  higher education to whom the adjutant general has awarded
  assistance for tuition and mandatory fees for the semester or term
  under this section. The amount of a grant under this subsection is
  an amount equal to the average amount of reimbursement the
  department estimates will be paid per student for the same semester
  or term under Subsection (h).
         SECTION 6.  Sections 54.345(b) and (c), Education Code, are
  amended to read as follows:
         (b)  An institution of higher education shall exempt a person
  certified by the adjutant general as described by Subsection (a)
  from the payment of tuition for the semester credit hours for which
  the person enrolls, not to exceed 15 [12] semester credit hours. If
  the person is not charged tuition at the rate provided for other
  Texas residents, the amount of the exemption may not exceed the
  amount of tuition the person would be charged as a Texas resident
  for the number of semester credit hours for which the person
  enrolls, not to exceed 15 [12] semester credit hours.
         (c)  An institution of higher education shall exempt a person
  who receives an exemption from tuition under Subsection (b) from
  the payment of all mandatory fees for any semester or term in which
  the person receives the tuition exemption.
         SECTION 7.  The adjutant general shall adopt rules required
  by Sections 2 through 4 of this Act not later than January 1, 2024.
         SECTION 8.  The changes in law made by Sections 2 through 4
  of this Act apply only to an order to state active duty that is
  issued on or after the effective date of this Act. An order to state
  active duty that is issued before the effective date of this Act is
  governed by the law in effect on the date the order is issued, and
  the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
         SECTION 9.  Sections 5 and 6 of this Act apply beginning with
  the 2023 fall semester.
         SECTION 10.  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.