Bill Text: TX HB1163 | 2011-2012 | 82nd Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Relating to tuition and fee exemptions at public institutions of higher education for certain peace officers and firefighters.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2011-06-17 - Effective immediately [HB1163 Detail]
Download: Texas-2011-HB1163-Enrolled.html
H.B. No. 1163 |
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relating to tuition and fee exemptions at public institutions of | ||
higher education for certain peace officers and firefighters. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Section 54.208, Education Code, as amended by | ||
Chapters 1285 (H.B. 2013) and 1299 (H.B. 2347), Acts of the 81st | ||
Legislature, Regular Session, 2009, is reenacted to read as | ||
follows: | ||
Sec. 54.208. FIREFIGHTERS ENROLLED IN FIRE SCIENCE COURSES. | ||
(a) The governing board of an institution of higher education shall | ||
exempt from the payment of tuition and laboratory fees any student | ||
enrolled in one or more courses offered as part of a fire science | ||
curriculum who: | ||
(1) is employed as a firefighter by a political | ||
subdivision of this state; or | ||
(2) is currently, and has been for at least one year, | ||
an active member of an organized volunteer fire department in this | ||
state, as defined by the fire fighters' pension commissioner, who | ||
holds: | ||
(A) an Accredited Advanced level of | ||
certification, or an equivalent successor certification, under the | ||
State Firemen's and Fire Marshals' Association of Texas volunteer | ||
certification program; or | ||
(B) Phase V (Firefighter II) certification, or an | ||
equivalent successor certification, under the Texas Commission on | ||
Fire Protection's voluntary certification program under Section | ||
419.071, Government Code. | ||
(b) An exemption provided under this section does not apply | ||
to deposits that may be required in the nature of security for the | ||
return or proper care of property loaned for the use of students. | ||
(c) Notwithstanding Subsection (a), a student who for a | ||
semester or term at an institution of higher education receives an | ||
exemption under this section may continue to receive the exemption | ||
for a subsequent semester or term at any institution only if the | ||
student makes satisfactory academic progress toward a degree or | ||
certificate at that institution as determined by the institution | ||
for purposes of financial aid. | ||
(d) Notwithstanding Subsection (a), the exemption provided | ||
under this section does not apply to any amount of additional | ||
tuition the institution elects to charge a resident undergraduate | ||
student under Section 54.014(a) or (f). | ||
(e) Notwithstanding Subsection (a), the exemption provided | ||
under this section does not apply to any amount of tuition the | ||
institution charges a graduate student in excess of the amount of | ||
tuition charged to similarly situated graduate students because the | ||
student has a number of semester credit hours of doctoral work in | ||
excess of the applicable number provided by Section 61.059(l)(1) or | ||
(2). | ||
(f) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall | ||
adopt: | ||
(1) rules governing the granting or denial of an | ||
exemption under this section, including rules relating to the | ||
determination of a student's eligibility for an exemption; and | ||
(2) a uniform listing of degree programs covered by | ||
the exemption under this section. | ||
SECTION 2. Subchapter D, Chapter 54, Education Code, is | ||
amended by adding Section 54.2081 to read as follows: | ||
Sec. 54.2081. PEACE OFFICERS ENROLLED IN CERTAIN COURSES. | ||
(a) The governing board of an institution of higher education | ||
shall exempt from the payment of tuition and laboratory fees | ||
charged by the institution for a criminal justice or law | ||
enforcement course or courses an undergraduate student who: | ||
(1) is employed as a peace officer by this state or by | ||
a political subdivision of this state; | ||
(2) is enrolled in a criminal justice or law | ||
enforcement-related degree program at the institution; | ||
(3) is making satisfactory academic progress toward | ||
the student's degree as determined by the institution; and | ||
(4) applies for the exemption at least one week before | ||
the last date of the institution's regular registration period for | ||
the applicable semester or other term. | ||
(b) Notwithstanding Subsection (a), a student may not | ||
receive an exemption under this section for any course if the | ||
student has previously attempted a number of semester credit hours | ||
for courses taken at any institution of higher education while | ||
classified as a resident student for tuition purposes in excess of | ||
the maximum number of those hours specified by Section 61.0595(a) | ||
as eligible for funding under the formulas established under | ||
Section 61.059. | ||
(c) Notwithstanding Subsection (a), the governing board of | ||
an institution of higher education may not provide exemptions under | ||
this section to students enrolled in a specific class in a number | ||
that exceeds 20 percent of the maximum student enrollment | ||
designated by the institution for that class. | ||
(d) An exemption provided under this section does not apply | ||
to deposits that may be required in the nature of security for the | ||
return or proper care of property loaned for the use of students. | ||
(e) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall | ||
adopt: | ||
(1) rules governing the granting or denial of an | ||
exemption under this section, including rules relating to the | ||
determination of a student's eligibility for an exemption; and | ||
(2) a uniform listing of degree programs covered by | ||
the exemption under this section. | ||
(f) If the legislature does not specifically appropriate | ||
funds to an institution of higher education in an amount sufficient | ||
to pay the institution's costs in complying with this section for a | ||
semester, the governing board of the institution of higher | ||
education shall report to the Senate Finance Committee and the | ||
House Appropriations Committee the cost to the institution of | ||
complying with this section for that semester. | ||
SECTION 3. The changes in law made by this Act apply to an | ||
exemption from tuition and fees beginning with the 2011 fall | ||
semester. | ||
SECTION 4. 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. | ||
______________________________ | ______________________________ | |
President of the Senate | Speaker of the House | |
I certify that H.B. No. 1163 was passed by the House on April | ||
21, 2011, by the following vote: Yeas 148, Nays 0, 1 present, not | ||
voting. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Chief Clerk of the House | ||
I certify that H.B. No. 1163 was passed by the Senate on May | ||
24, 2011, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Secretary of the Senate | ||
APPROVED: _____________________ | ||
Date | ||
_____________________ | ||
Governor |