Bill Text: TX HB14 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Introduced
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Relating to a student loan repayment assistance program for certain full-time peace officers in this state.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 20-8)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2019-04-25 - Referred to Higher Education [HB14 Detail]
Download: Texas-2019-HB14-Introduced.html
Bill Title: Relating to a student loan repayment assistance program for certain full-time peace officers in this state.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 20-8)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2019-04-25 - Referred to Higher Education [HB14 Detail]
Download: Texas-2019-HB14-Introduced.html
| By: Stucky | H.B. No. 14 | |
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| relating to higher education student loan repayment assistance for | ||
| peace officers. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding | ||
| Subchapter II to read as follows: | ||
| SUBCHAPTER II. PEACE OFFICER LOAN REPAYMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM | ||
| Sec. 61.9851. DEFINITION. In this subchapter, "peace | ||
| officer" has the meaning assigned by Article 2.12, Code of Criminal | ||
| Procedure. | ||
| Sec. 61.9852. REPAYMENT AUTHORIZED. The board shall | ||
| establish and administer a program to provide, in accordance with | ||
| this subchapter and board rules, assistance in the repayment of | ||
| student loans for persons who are employed as peace officers by | ||
| state agencies or political subdivisions of this state and who | ||
| apply and qualify for the assistance. | ||
| Sec. 61.9853. ELIGIBILITY. To be eligible to receive | ||
| repayment assistance under this subchapter, a person must: | ||
| (1) apply to the board; | ||
| (2) be a resident of this state; | ||
| (3) at the time of application for repayment | ||
| assistance have been employed full-time for at least one year as, | ||
| and be currently employed full-time as, a peace officer by a state | ||
| agency or political subdivision of this state; | ||
| (4) have earned at least 60 hours of course credit at a | ||
| public or private institution of higher education in this state | ||
| before becoming a peace officer; and | ||
| (5) comply with any additional requirement adopted by | ||
| board rule. | ||
| Sec. 61.9854. LIMITATIONS. (a) On qualifying for | ||
| repayment assistance under this subchapter, a person may receive | ||
| repayment assistance for each year of employment as a peace | ||
| officer, not to exceed five years. | ||
| (b) The amount of repayment assistance that a person may | ||
| receive for each year of employment as a peace officer may not | ||
| exceed 20 percent of the peace officer's total amount of eligible | ||
| loans as provided by Section 61.9855. | ||
| (c) The total amount of repayment assistance provided under | ||
| this subchapter to a person may not exceed $20,000. | ||
| (d) The total amount of repayment assistance provided under | ||
| this subchapter may not exceed the total amount of gifts and grants | ||
| accepted by the board for the repayment assistance, legislative | ||
| appropriations for the repayment assistance, and other funds | ||
| available to the board for the repayment assistance. | ||
| Sec. 61.9855. ELIGIBLE LOANS. (a) The board may provide | ||
| repayment assistance for the repayment of any student loan received | ||
| by an eligible person through any lender for the cost of attendance | ||
| at a public or private or independent institution of higher | ||
| education for a semester or other term that ended not earlier than | ||
| 60 months before the date of the person initially becoming a peace | ||
| officer. | ||
| (b) The board may withhold repayment assistance for a | ||
| student loan that is in default at the time of the peace officer's | ||
| application. | ||
| (c) The board may not provide repayment assistance for the | ||
| repayment of a loan for the cost of attendance for credit hours a | ||
| person earns after becoming a peace officer. | ||
| (d) If the loan is not a state or federal guaranteed student | ||
| loan, the note or other writing governing the terms of the loan must | ||
| require the loan proceeds to be used for expenses incurred by a | ||
| person to attend a public or private institution of higher | ||
| education. | ||
| Sec. 61.9856. REPAYMENT. (a) The board shall pay any loan | ||
| repayment assistance under this subchapter in a lump sum delivered | ||
| on the eligible person's behalf directly to the holder of the loan. | ||
| (b) A repayment under this subchapter may be applied to any | ||
| amount due in connection with the loan. | ||
| Sec. 61.9857. ACCEPTANCE OF GIFTS. The board may solicit | ||
| and accept gifts and grants from any source for the purposes of this | ||
| subchapter. | ||
| Sec. 61.9858. RULES. (a) The board shall adopt rules as | ||
| necessary to administer this subchapter. | ||
| (b) The board shall distribute a copy of the rules adopted | ||
| under this section and pertinent information regarding this | ||
| subchapter to: | ||
| (1) each public and private or independent institution | ||
| of higher education in this state; | ||
| (2) any appropriate state agency; and | ||
| (3) any appropriate professional association. | ||
| SECTION 2. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board | ||
| shall adopt the rules for repayment assistance under Subchapter II, | ||
| Chapter 61, Education Code, as added by this Act, not later than | ||
| February 1, 2020. | ||
| 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, 2019. | ||
