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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the measures to encourage eligible students to claim |
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certain tuition and fee exemptions at public institutions of higher |
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education for students who are or have been in foster or other |
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residential care. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 54.366(b), Education Code, is amended to |
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read as follows: |
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(b) The Texas Education Agency and the Texas Higher |
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Education Coordinating Board shall develop outreach programs to |
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ensure that students in the conservatorship of the Department of |
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Family and Protective Services and in grades 9 through 12 [9-12] are |
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aware of the availability of the exemption from the payment of |
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tuition and fees provided by this section. The outreach programs |
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must include the provision of informational materials regarding the |
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exemption to each: |
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(1) residential child-care facility as defined by |
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Section 42.002, Human Resources Code; |
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(2) foster parent or relative or other designated |
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caregiver of a student enrolled in grade 9 through 12; and |
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(3) school district, open-enrollment charter school, |
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and private school offering grade nine or above. |
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SECTION 2. Section 54.367(b), Education Code, is amended to |
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read as follows: |
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(b) The Texas Education Agency and the Texas Higher |
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Education Coordinating Board shall develop outreach programs to |
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ensure that adopted students in grades 9 through 12 [9-12] formerly |
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in foster or other residential care are aware of the availability of |
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the exemption from the payment of tuition and fees provided by this |
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section. The outreach programs must include the provision of |
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informational materials regarding the exemption to each: |
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(1) residential child-care facility as defined by |
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Section 42.002, Human Resources Code; |
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(2) adoptive parent of a student enrolled in grade 9 |
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through 12 who was formerly in foster or other residential care; and |
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(3) school district, open-enrollment charter school, |
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and private school offering grade nine or above. |
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SECTION 3. Subchapter D, Chapter 54, Education Code, is |
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amended by adding Section 54.3671 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 54.3671. STREAMLINED ELIGIBILITY DETERMINATION AND |
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APPLICATION PROCESS FOR CERTAIN STUDENTS. The Texas Higher |
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Education Coordinating Board and the Department of Family and |
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Protective Services shall jointly design and implement a |
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streamlined eligibility determination and application process for |
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the tuition and fee exemptions provided by Sections 54.366 and |
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54.367. The streamlined process must: |
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(1) be designed to decrease the administrative burden |
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on the department and students in determining exemption eligibility |
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by reducing data collection, data entry, and the copying and |
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recopying of applications; |
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(2) include a system through which a student may apply |
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for an exemption electronically through the department's Internet |
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website; and |
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(3) for a student determined by the department to be |
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eligible for an exemption, provide for the automatic submission by |
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the department to the institution of higher education indicated by |
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the student of the tuition waiver letter or other documentation |
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required by the institution to verify the student's eligibility. |
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SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |