Bill Text: TX SB1725 | 2011-2012 | 82nd Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to a tuition exemption at a four-year public institution of higher education based on a student's academic performance and timely progress toward completion of a baccalaureate degree program.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-03-23 - Referred to Higher Education [SB1725 Detail]
Download: Texas-2011-SB1725-Introduced.html
82R9656 KEL-D | ||
By: Zaffirini | S.B. No. 1725 |
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relating to a tuition exemption at a four-year public institution | ||
of higher education based on a student's academic performance and | ||
timely progress toward completion of a baccalaureate degree | ||
program. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Subchapter D, Chapter 54, Education Code, is | ||
amended by adding Section 54.223 to read as follows: | ||
Sec. 54.223. TUITION EXEMPTION BASED ON ACADEMIC | ||
PERFORMANCE AND TIMELY PROGRESS TOWARD DEGREE COMPLETION. (a) In | ||
this section, "general academic teaching institution" has the | ||
meaning assigned by Section 61.003. | ||
(b) This section applies only to a baccalaureate degree | ||
program other than a degree program in engineering or architecture | ||
or any other program determined by the Texas Higher Education | ||
Coordinating Board to typically require more than four academic | ||
years to complete. | ||
(c) The governing board of a general academic teaching | ||
institution shall exempt an eligible student from the payment of | ||
tuition and fees for any semester credit hour in which the student | ||
enrolls, beginning on the later of the following dates: | ||
(1) the date the student begins the student's fifth | ||
academic year at the institution; or | ||
(2) the date the student enrolls in the student's 121st | ||
semester credit hour at the institution. | ||
(d) To be eligible for an exemption under Subsection (c), a | ||
student must: | ||
(1) be a Texas resident entitled to pay tuition at the | ||
rate provided by Subchapter B for Texas residents; | ||
(2) have been enrolled for a period of at least four | ||
consecutive academic years or have successfully completed at least | ||
120 consecutive semester credit hours in a baccalaureate degree | ||
program at one or more public or private institutions of higher | ||
education in or outside of this state; | ||
(3) have maintained an overall grade point average of | ||
at least 2.5 on a four-point scale; | ||
(4) have successfully completed at least 80 percent of | ||
all semester credit hours attempted for each semester; | ||
(5) have successfully completed at least 30 semester | ||
credit hours in each academic year; | ||
(6) have selected a baccalaureate degree program by | ||
the end of the student's first academic year at the general academic | ||
teaching institution or, for a transfer student, by the beginning | ||
of the student's third academic year; | ||
(7) have met with the student's academic advisor at | ||
least once during each academic year; | ||
(8) have enrolled in only courses in the core | ||
curriculum during the student's first academic year and in only | ||
courses in the student's baccalaureate degree program for any | ||
subsequent academic year; and | ||
(9) have committed to completing the student's degree | ||
requirements within four academic years by signing and returning a | ||
copy of the written, four-year course of study provided to the | ||
student under Subsection (e)(2) to the advising center at the | ||
institution or to the student's assigned academic advisor. | ||
(e) Any person assigned by a general academic teaching | ||
institution to provide course selection advice to an incoming | ||
freshman or transfer student shall: | ||
(1) during the student's first semester or term at the | ||
institution, provide the student with written notice of the tuition | ||
exemption available under Subsection (d) and the eligibility | ||
requirements for the exemption; and | ||
(2) at the time the student declares a major, provide | ||
the student with a written, four-year course of study signed by the | ||
institution's chief operating officer, president, or dean that | ||
provides a recommended sequence for all course requirements for | ||
completion of most bachelor's degrees within four academic years. | ||
(f) Each general academic teaching institution shall | ||
publish a recommended course sequence and recommended schedule by | ||
academic term for each degree offered by the institution. The | ||
recommended course sequence schedule must be included in the | ||
institution's course catalog and departmental publications and on | ||
the institution's Internet website. | ||
(g) Each general academic teaching institution shall offer | ||
and make available courses in a time, sequence, and manner that will | ||
enable students to complete requirements for a degree within the | ||
period provided by the recommended course sequence schedule. If a | ||
course required for the degree program of a student who has | ||
committed to completing the student's degree requirements within | ||
four academic years under Subsection (d)(9) is unavailable to the | ||
student in the sequence required by the degree program, the | ||
institution must: | ||
(1) permanently waive the student's required | ||
enrollment in that course; | ||
(2) allow the student at that time to satisfy the | ||
course requirement by selecting for the student and substituting: | ||
(A) a different course that the student is | ||
eligible to take and that is available to the student; or | ||
(B) an independent study assignment; or | ||
(3) exempt the student from the payment of tuition and | ||
required fees for the course at the time the student is first able | ||
to enroll in the course at the institution. | ||
(h) A student who has completed more than 150 semester | ||
credit hours or the equivalent may not continue to receive an | ||
exemption under Subsection (d). | ||
(i) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall | ||
adopt rules governing the administration of this section. | ||
SECTION 2. (a) The change in law made by this Act in adding | ||
Section 54.223, Education Code, applies only to students enrolling | ||
as first-time freshmen or transfer students at general academic | ||
teaching institutions beginning with the 2011-2012 academic year. | ||
(b) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall | ||
adopt rules for the administration of Section 54.223, Education | ||
Code, as added by this Act, as soon as practicable after this Act | ||
takes effect. For that purpose, the coordinating board may adopt | ||
the rules in the manner provided by law for emergency rules. | ||
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, 2011. |