Bill Text: TX HB2555 | 2013-2014 | 83rd Legislature | Comm Sub
Bill Title: Relating to a study and report regarding tuition and fee exemptions for certain military personnel and their dependents.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2013-04-30 - Committee report sent to Calendars [HB2555 Detail]
Download: Texas-2013-HB2555-Comm_Sub.html
83R23669 JRJ-D | |||
By: Patrick | H.B. No. 2555 | ||
Substitute the following for H.B. No. 2555: | |||
By: Branch | C.S.H.B. No. 2555 |
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relating to a study and report regarding tuition and fee exemptions | ||
for certain military personnel and their dependents. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Subchapter D, Chapter 54, Education Code, is | ||
amended by adding Section 54.3411 to read as follows: | ||
Sec. 54.3411. STUDY REGARDING TUITION AND FEE EXEMPTIONS | ||
FOR CERTAIN MILITARY PERSONNEL AND DEPENDENTS. (a) The Legislative | ||
Budget Board, in consultation with the Texas Higher Education | ||
Coordinating Board and the Texas Veterans Commission, as the | ||
Legislative Budget Board considers necessary, shall study and | ||
evaluate the tuition and fee exemptions provided under Section | ||
54.341. In the study, the Legislative Budget Board shall consider | ||
any available historical data and the projected data regarding | ||
recipients of the exemptions provided under Section 54.341, | ||
disaggregated by veteran, dependent, spouse, and legacy recipient, | ||
for each of the following categories of information: | ||
(1) the total number of recipients, disaggregated by | ||
gender, race and ethnicity, institution, and socioeconomic | ||
background as indicated in the Free Application for Federal Student | ||
Aid (FAFSA); | ||
(2) the number of undergraduate, graduate, and | ||
doctoral credit hours attempted and earned by semester; | ||
(3) the number of degrees attempted and earned, and | ||
the associated semester credit hours required for those degrees, | ||
per recipient; | ||
(4) the grade point average of recipients after | ||
completing the first, second, third, and fourth academic years, and | ||
subsequent academic years, as applicable, and to the extent allowed | ||
under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (20 | ||
U.S.C. Section 1232q); | ||
(5) the average time to graduation; | ||
(6) the four-year and six-year graduation rates, | ||
retention rates, and noncompletion rates; | ||
(7) the number of semester credit hours of | ||
developmental education courses attempted and earned by | ||
recipients; | ||
(8) the proportion of federal education benefits, | ||
including veteran and non-veteran benefits, and of the exemption | ||
provided under Section 54.341, used for undergraduate, graduate, | ||
and doctoral semester credit hours attempted and earned by | ||
recipients; and | ||
(9) the average cost of tuition and mandatory fees for | ||
an undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral recipient enrolled in a | ||
full course load at an institution of higher education compared to | ||
the average cost for a nonrecipient student enrolled in a full | ||
course load at the same institution for the same degree level. | ||
(b) To the greatest extent possible: | ||
(1) the Legislative Budget Board shall: | ||
(A) include in its study a review of all federal | ||
education benefits for veterans in order to comprehensively review | ||
the sustainability of state and federal benefits for veterans; and | ||
(B) use applicable data from the 2008-2009 | ||
academic year or a more recent academic year as a baseline in the | ||
study; and | ||
(2) institutions of higher education shall cooperate | ||
with the Legislative Budget Board by providing any requested data | ||
and ensuring the reliability and validity of the data collected and | ||
submitted for the purpose of the study. | ||
(c) Not later than December 1, 2014, the Legislative Budget | ||
Board shall submit to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating | ||
Board, the Texas Veterans Commission, the governor, the lieutenant | ||
governor, and the speaker of the house of representatives a written | ||
report of the results of the study conducted under this section, | ||
together with any recommendations for legislative or | ||
administrative action, including any changes to eligibility | ||
criteria or other changes necessary to promote sustainability, | ||
fiscal efficiency, and effectiveness in the use of the exemption | ||
provided under Section 54.341. A recommendation included in the | ||
report must include an explanation of the basis for that | ||
recommendation. | ||
(d) This section expires January 31, 2015. | ||
SECTION 2. 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, 2013. |