Bill Text: TX SB2104 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Relating to certain advocacy and legal services for Texas Veterans and to tuition and fees for certain military spouses and dependents.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2019-06-10 - See remarks for effective date [SB2104 Detail]
Download: Texas-2019-SB2104-Enrolled.html
S.B. No. 2104 |
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relating to certain advocacy and legal services for Texas Veterans | ||
and to tuition and fees for certain military spouses and | ||
dependents. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Section 434.017(c), Government Code, is amended | ||
to read as follows: | ||
(c) Money in the fund may only be appropriated to the Texas | ||
Veterans Commission. Money appropriated under this subsection | ||
shall be used to: | ||
(1) make grants to address veterans' needs; | ||
(2) make grants to provide pro bono legal services to | ||
veterans, active duty members of the United States armed forces, | ||
and members of the state military forces; | ||
(3) administer the fund; and | ||
(4) [ |
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the federal Public Assistance Reporting Information System (PARIS) | ||
that is administered by the Administration for Children and | ||
Families of the United States Department of Health and Human | ||
Services. | ||
SECTION 2. Section 434.0171, Government Code, is amended to | ||
read as follows: | ||
Sec. 434.0171. STATE EMPLOYEE CONTRIBUTIONS TO FUND FOR | ||
VETERANS' ASSISTANCE. For purposes of Subchapter I, Chapter 659: | ||
(1) the Texas Veterans Commission, for the sole | ||
purpose of managing the fund for veterans' assistance, is | ||
considered an eligible charitable organization entitled to | ||
participate in the state employee charitable campaign; and | ||
(2) a state employee is entitled to authorize a | ||
deduction for contributions to the Texas Veterans Commission for | ||
the purposes of managing the fund for veterans' assistance as a | ||
charitable contribution under Section 659.132, and the Texas | ||
Veterans Commission may use the contributions for the purposes | ||
listed in Section 434.017(c)[ |
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SECTION 3. Subchapter B, Chapter 434, Government Code, is | ||
amended by adding Section 434.040 to read as follows: | ||
Sec. 434.040. TEXAS VETERANS COUNTY SERVICE OFFICER TASK | ||
FORCE. (a) In this section: | ||
(1) "Rural county" means a county with a population of | ||
less than 200,000. | ||
(2) "Task force" means the Texas Veterans County | ||
Service Officer Task Force. | ||
(3) "Urban county" means a county with a population of | ||
200,000 or more. | ||
(b) The Texas Veterans County Service Officer Task Force is | ||
established to study the impact and efficacy of officers in this | ||
state. | ||
(c) The task force is composed of the following nine | ||
members: | ||
(1) the chair of the House Committee on Defense and | ||
Veterans' Affairs; | ||
(2) the chair of the Senate Committee on Veteran | ||
Affairs and Border Security; | ||
(3) a representative of the commission; | ||
(4) the chair of the Veterans County Service Officer | ||
Advisory Committee; | ||
(5) a representative of the Texas Coalition of | ||
Veterans Organizations; | ||
(6) an officer representing a rural county selected by | ||
the chair of the House Committee on Defense and Veterans' Affairs; | ||
(7) an officer representing an urban county selected | ||
by the chair of the House Committee on Defense and Veterans' | ||
Affairs; | ||
(8) an officer representing a rural county selected by | ||
the chair of the Senate Committee on Veteran Affairs and Border | ||
Security; and | ||
(9) an officer representing an urban county selected | ||
by the chair of the Senate Committee on Veteran Affairs and Border | ||
Security. | ||
(d) The chairs of the House Committee on Defense and | ||
Veterans' Affairs and Senate Committee on Veteran Affairs and | ||
Border Security serve as co-chairs of the task force. | ||
(e) A recommendation of the task force must be approved by a | ||
majority vote of the members of the task force. | ||
(f) Each member of the task force has one vote. | ||
(g) The task force shall: | ||
(1) examine the role and duties of officers in each | ||
county; | ||
(2) identify the regions of this state that are in need | ||
of officers; and | ||
(3) determine types and levels of support needed from | ||
this state in order for officers to appropriately advocate for the | ||
veterans served by the officers. | ||
(h) Not later than December 1, 2020, the commission shall | ||
prepare and submit a report based on recommendations of the task | ||
force regarding the issues described in Subsection (g) to the | ||
Senate Committee on Veteran Affairs and Border Security and House | ||
Committee on Defense and Veterans' Affairs. The report must be | ||
approved by a majority vote of the members of the task force. | ||
(i) This section expires January 1, 2021. | ||
SECTION 4. Section 434.154(a), Government Code, is amended | ||
to read as follows: | ||
(a) The council may, by majority vote, establish the | ||
following coordinating workgroups to focus on specific issues | ||
affecting veterans, servicemembers, and their families: | ||
(1) health; | ||
(2) mental health; | ||
(3) employment; | ||
(4) higher education; | ||
(5) criminal justice; | ||
(6) housing; | ||
(7) transportation; | ||
(8) women veterans; | ||
(9) pro bono legal services for veterans, including | ||
opportunities and obstacles for providing those services; and | ||
(10) [ |
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considered necessary. | ||
SECTION 5. Section 54.241(g), Education Code, is amended to | ||
read as follows: | ||
(g) If a member of the Armed Forces of the United States is | ||
stationed outside Texas, an [ |
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(1) permit the member's spouse or child to pay the | ||
tuition, fees, and other charges provided for Texas residents | ||
without regard to the length of time that the spouse or child has | ||
resided in Texas if the spouse or child establishes residence in | ||
Texas by residing in Texas and by filing with the Texas institution | ||
of higher education at which the spouse or child plans to register a | ||
letter of intent to establish residence in Texas; and | ||
(2) permit the member's spouse to pay the tuition, | ||
fees, and other charges provided for Texas residents if the spouse: | ||
(A) graduated from a public or private high | ||
school in this state or received the equivalent of a high school | ||
diploma in this state; and | ||
(B) maintained a domicile in this state | ||
continuously for at least one year before the member was assigned to | ||
duty outside Texas. | ||
SECTION 6. Section 54.241, Education Code, as amended by | ||
this Act, applies beginning with tuition and fees charged for the | ||
2019 fall semester. | ||
SECTION 7. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b) of | ||
this section, this Act takes effect September 1, 2019. | ||
(b) Section 54.241, Education Code, as amended by this Act, | ||
takes effect immediately if this Act 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, Section 54.241, Education | ||
Code, as amended by this Act, takes effect September 1, 2019. | ||
______________________________ | ______________________________ | |
President of the Senate | Speaker of the House | |
I hereby certify that S.B. No. 2104 passed the Senate on | ||
April 17, 2019, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0; and that | ||
the Senate concurred in House amendments on May 25, 2019, by the | ||
following vote: Yeas 30, Nays 0. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Secretary of the Senate | ||
I hereby certify that S.B. No. 2104 passed the House, with | ||
amendments, on May 22, 2019, by the following vote: Yeas 142, | ||
Nays 1, one present not voting. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Chief Clerk of the House | ||
Approved: | ||
______________________________ | ||
Date | ||
______________________________ | ||
Governor |