| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to eligibility for a Texas B-on-Time loan. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Section 56.451, Education Code, is amended as |
|
|
follows: |
|
|
Sec. 56.451. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter: |
|
|
(1) "Coordinating board" means the Texas Higher Education |
|
|
Coordinating Board. |
|
|
(2) "Eligible institution" means: |
|
|
(A) an institution of higher education; or |
|
|
(B) a private or independent institution of higher |
|
|
education. |
|
|
(3) "General academic teaching institution," and "private |
|
|
or independent institution of higher education," "public junior
|
|
|
college,"
and "public technical institute" have the meanings |
|
|
assigned by Section 61.003. |
|
|
SECTION 2. Section 56.455, Education Code, is amended as |
|
|
follows: |
|
|
Sec. 56.455. INITIAL ELIGIBILITY FOR LOAN. To be eligible |
|
|
initially for a Texas B-On-time loan, a person must: |
|
|
(1) be a resident of this state under Section 54.052 or be |
|
|
entitled, as a child of a member of the armed forces of the United |
|
|
States, to pay tuition at the rate provided for residents of this |
|
|
state under Section 54.241; |
|
|
(2) meet one of the following academic requirements: |
|
|
(A) be a graduate of a public or private high school in |
|
|
this state who graduated not earlier than the 2002-2003 school year |
|
|
under the recommended or advanced high school program established |
|
|
under Section 28.025(a) or its equivalent; |
|
|
(B) be a graduate of a high school operated by the |
|
|
United States Department of Defense who: |
|
|
(i) graduated from that school not earlier than |
|
|
the 2002-2003 school year; and |
|
|
(ii) at the time of graduation from that school |
|
|
was a dependent child of a member of the armed forces of the United |
|
|
States; or |
|
|
(C) have received an associate degree from an eligible |
|
|
institution not earlier than May 1, 2005; |
|
|
(3) be enrolled for a full course load for an undergraduate |
|
|
student, as determined by the coordinating board, in an |
|
|
undergraduate degree or certificate program at an eligible |
|
|
institution; |
|
|
(4) be eligible for federal financial aid, except that a |
|
|
person is not required to meet any financial need requirement |
|
|
applicable to a particular federal financial aid program; and |
|
|
(5) comply with any additional nonacademic requirement |
|
|
adopted by the coordinating board under this subchapter. |
|
|
SECTION 3. Section 56.456, Education Code, is amended as |
|
|
follows: |
|
|
Sec. 56.456. CONTINUING ELIGIBILITY AND ACADEMIC |
|
|
PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS. (a) After initially qualifying for a |
|
|
Texas B-On-time loan, a person may continue to receive a Texas |
|
|
B-On-time loan for each semester or term in which the person is |
|
|
enrolled at an eligible institution only if the person: |
|
|
(1) is enrolled for a full course load for an undergraduate |
|
|
student, as determined by the coordinating board, in an |
|
|
undergraduate degree or certificate program at an eligible |
|
|
institution; |
|
|
(2) is eligible for federal financial aid, except that a |
|
|
person is not required to meet any financial need requirement |
|
|
applicable to a particular federal financial aid program; |
|
|
(3) makes satisfactory academic progress toward a degree or
|
|
|
certificate as determined by the institution at which the person is |
|
|
enrolled, if the person is enrolled in the person's first academic |
|
|
year at the institution; |
|
|
(4) completed at least 75 percent of the semester credit |
|
|
hours attempted by the person in the most recent academic year and |
|
|
has a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.5 on a four-point |
|
|
scale or the equivalent on all coursework previously attempted at |
|
|
institutions of higher education, if the person is enrolled in any |
|
|
academic year after the person's first academic year; and |
|
|
(5) complies with any additional nonacademic requirement |
|
|
adopted by the coordinating board. |
|
|
(b) If a person fails to meet any of the requirements of |
|
|
Subsection (a) after the completion of any semester or term, the |
|
|
person may not receive a Texas B-On-time loan for the next semester |
|
|
or term in which the person enrolls. A person may become eligible |
|
|
to receive a Texas B-On-time loan in a subsequent semester or term |
|
|
if the person: |
|
|
(1) completes a semester or term during which the |
|
|
person is not eligible for a Texas B-On-time loan; and |
|
|
(2) meets all of the requirements of Subsection (a). |
|
|
(c) A person who is eligible to receive a Texas B-On-time |
|
|
loan continues to remain eligible to receive the Texas B-On-time |
|
|
loan if the person enrolls in or transfers to another eligible |
|
|
institution. |
|
|
(d)
A person who qualifies for and subsequently receives a
|
|
|
Texas B-On-time loan, who receives an undergraduate certificate or
|
|
|
associate degree, and who, not later than the 12th month after the
|
|
|
month the person receives the certificate or degree, enrolls in a
|
|
|
program leading to a higher-level undergraduate degree continues to
|
|
|
be eligible for a Texas B-On-time loan to the extent other
|
|
|
eligibility requirements are met.
|
|
|
SECTION 4. Section 56.459, Education Code, is amended as |
|
|
follows: |
|
|
Sec. 56.459. LOAN AMOUNT. (a) The amount of a Texas |
|
|
B-On-time loan for a semester or term for a student enrolled |
|
|
full-time at an eligible institution other than an institution |
|
|
covered by Subsection (b), (c), or (d) is an amount determined by |
|
|
the coordinating board as the average statewide amount of tuition |
|
|
and required fees that a resident student enrolled full-time in an |
|
|
undergraduate degree program would be charged for that semester or |
|
|
term at general academic teaching institutions. |
|
|
(b) The amount of a Texas B-On-time loan for a student |
|
|
enrolled full-time at a private or independent institution of |
|
|
higher education is an amount determined by the coordinating board |
|
|
as the average statewide amount of tuition and required fees that a |
|
|
resident student enrolled full-time in an undergraduate degree |
|
|
program would be charged for that semester or term at general |
|
|
academic teaching institutions. |
|
|
(c)
The amount of a Texas B-On-time loan for a student
|
|
|
enrolled full-time at a public technical institute is the amount
|
|
|
determined by the coordinating board as the average statewide
|
|
|
amount of tuition and required fees that a resident student
|
|
|
enrolled full-time in an associate degree or certificate program
|
|
|
would be charged for that semester or term at public technical
|
|
|
institutes.
|
|
|
(d)
The amount of a Texas B-On-time loan for a student
|
|
|
enrolled full-time at a public junior college is the amount
|
|
|
determined by the coordinating board as the average statewide
|
|
|
amount of tuition and required fees that a student who is a resident
|
|
|
of the junior college district and is enrolled full-time in an
|
|
|
associate degree or certificate program would be charged for that
|
|
|
semester or term at public junior colleges.
|
|
|
(e)(c) Not later than January 31 of each year, the |
|
|
coordinating board shall publish the amounts of each loan |
|
|
established by the board for each type of institution for the |
|
|
academic year beginning the next fall semester. |
|
|
(f)(d) If in any academic year the amount of money in the |
|
|
Texas B-On-time student loan account is insufficient to provide the |
|
|
loans to all eligible persons in amounts specified by this section, |
|
|
the coordinating board shall determine the amount of available |
|
|
money and shall allocate that amount to eligible institutions in |
|
|
proportion to the number of full-time equivalent undergraduate |
|
|
students enrolled at each institution. Each institution shall use |
|
|
the money allocated to award Texas B-On-time loans to eligible |
|
|
students enrolled at the institution selected according to |
|
|
financial need. |
|
|
SECTION 5. Section 56.461, Education Code, is amended as |
|
|
follows: |
|
|
Sec. 56.461. LOAN PAYMENT DEFERRED. The repayment of a Texas |
|
|
B-On-time loan received by a student under this subchapter is |
|
|
deferred as long as the student remains continuously enrolled in an |
|
|
undergraduate degree or certificate program at an eligible |
|
|
institution. |
|
|
SECTION 6. Section 56.462, Education Code, is amended as |
|
|
follows: |
|
|
Sec. 56.462. LOAN FORGIVENESS. A student who receives a |
|
|
Texas B-On-time loan shall be forgiven the amount of the student's |
|
|
loan if the student is awarded an undergraduate certificate or |
|
|
degree at an eligible institution with a cumulative grade point |
|
|
average of at least 3.0 on a four-point scale or the equivalent: |
|
|
(1) within: |
|
|
(A) four calendar years after the date the student |
|
|
initially enrolled in the institution or another eligible |
|
|
institution if: |
|
|
(i) the institution is a four-year institution; |
|
|
and |
|
|
(ii) the student is awarded a degree other than a |
|
|
degree in engineering, architecture, or any other program |
|
|
determined by the coordinating board to require more than four |
|
|
years to complete; or |
|
|
(B) five calendar years after the date the student |
|
|
initially enrolled in the institution or another eligible |
|
|
institution if: |
|
|
(i) the institution is a four-year institution; |
|
|
and |
|
|
(ii) the student is awarded a degree in |
|
|
engineering, architecture, or any other program determined by the |
|
|
coordinating board to require more than four years to complete; or |
|
|
(C)
two years after the date the student initially
|
|
|
enrolled in the institution or another eligible institution if the
|
|
|
institution is a public junior college or public technical
|
|
|
institute; or
|
|
|
(2) with a total number of semester credit hours, including |
|
|
transfer credit hours and excluding hours earned exclusively by |
|
|
examination, hours earned for a course for which the student |
|
|
received credit toward the student's high school academic |
|
|
requirements, and hours earned for developmental coursework that an |
|
|
institution of higher education required the student to take under |
|
|
Section 51.3062 or under the former provisions of Section 51.306, |
|
|
that is not more than six hours more than the minimum number of |
|
|
semester credit hours required to complete the certificate or |
|
|
degree. |
|
|
SECTION 7. This Act take effect immediately if it receive 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. |