89R20766 CMO-F

By: Bernal H.B. No. 2249

Substitute the following for H.B. No. 2249:

By: Buckley C.S.H.B. No. 2249

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the establishment of the Texas Teacher Recruitment Scholarship Program.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding Subchapter QQ to read as follows:

SUBCHAPTER QQ. TEXAS TEACHER RECRUITMENT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

Sec. 61.9981. SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM; SCHOLARSHIP AMOUNT. (a) The board shall establish and administer, in accordance with this subchapter and board rules, the Texas Teacher Recruitment Scholarship Program under which the board provides an annual conditional scholarship to a student who meets the eligibility criteria prescribed by Section 61.9983 and is nominated to receive a scholarship.

(b) The total amount of a scholarship awarded under this subchapter may not exceed the lesser of:

(1) $40,000, to be disbursed at a rate of $10,000 per academic year for four academic years; or

(2) an amount equivalent to the tuition and fees for four academic years, to be disbursed at a rate of one quarter of the amount per academic year for four academic years.

Sec. 61.9982. REPAYMENT ASSISTANCE AUTHORIZED. If a student awarded a scholarship under this subchapter receives a baccalaureate degree before receiving the total amount of the scholarship, the board shall use the student's remaining scholarship funds to provide assistance in the repayment of the student's outstanding education loans, if applicable.

Sec. 61.9983. ELIGIBILITY; NOMINATION AND SELECTION. (a) To receive an initial scholarship under this subchapter, a student must:

(1) be enrolled at a public or private institution of higher education in this state;

(2) be enrolled in a university program that culminates in a baccalaureate degree and prepares a student for the examination required to obtain an educator certification issued under Subchapter B, Chapter 21;

(3) be nominated to receive a scholarship by the institution of higher education at which the student is enrolled under Subdivision (1); and

(4) enter into an agreement with the board under Section 61.9984.

(b) For a student to continue to receive a scholarship awarded under this subchapter, the student must maintain satisfactory academic progress as determined by the institution at which the student is enrolled.

Sec. 61.9984. AGREEMENT REQUIREMENTS. (a) To receive a scholarship under this subchapter, a student must enter into an agreement with the board as provided by this section. The agreement must require the student to:

(1) enroll in and complete a university program that culminates in a baccalaureate degree and prepares a student for the examination required to obtain an educator certification issued under Subchapter B, Chapter 21;

(2) obtain an educator certification issued under Subchapter B, Chapter 21;

(3) graduate not later than five years after the date the student first enrolls at a public or private institution of higher education in this state;

(4) after graduation, maintain employment as an educator with a school district or open-enrollment charter school for the period described by Subsection (b) and annually provide to the board verification of employment during the applicable period; and

(5) agree to repay the scholarship if the student:

(A) fails to maintain satisfactory academic progress;

(B) withdraws from the scholarship program; or

(C) fails to fulfill the employment requirement described by Subdivision (4) and Subsection (b).

(b) Each student who receives a scholarship under this subchapter is required to maintain employment as an educator in accordance with Subsection (a)(4) for a period of five years, except that a student who completes the teacher residency program established under Subchapter Q, Chapter 21, is required to maintain employment as an educator in accordance with that subdivision for a period of only four years.

(c) The board shall adopt rules to exempt a student from the repayment of a scholarship under an agreement entered into under this section if the student is unable to meet the obligations of the agreement due to extraordinary circumstances.

Sec. 61.9985. RULES. The board shall adopt rules as necessary for the administration of this subchapter, including rules regarding the eligibility criteria, the selection of scholarship recipients, and the repayment of student loans under Section 61.9982.

Sec. 61.9986. LIMITATION ON SCHOLARSHIP. A person may not receive a scholarship under this subchapter after earning a cumulative total of 150 credit hours or after being awarded a baccalaureate degree, whichever occurs first.

Sec. 61.9987. FUNDING. The board shall administer this subchapter using available appropriations and gifts, grants, and donations made for the purposes of this subchapter.

SECTION 2. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall award scholarships under Subchapter QQ, Chapter 61, Education Code, as added by this Act, beginning with the 2026-2027 academic year. The coordinating board shall adopt the rules required by that subchapter as soon as practicable after this Act takes effect.

SECTION 3. 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, 2025.