Hagenbuch’s bill widens tuition help for Texas military forces

The text as introduced · 666 words

89R2394 CXP-D

By: Hagenbuch
S.B. No. 1134

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to assistance for tuition and fees at postsecondary

educational institutions for certain members of the Texas military

forces.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Sections 54.345(b) and (c), Education Code, are

amended to read as follows:

(b) An institution of higher education shall exempt a person

certified by the adjutant general as described by Subsection (a)

from the payment of tuition for the semester credit hours for which

the person enrolls, not to exceed 15 [ 12 ] semester credit hours. If

the person is not charged tuition at the rate provided for other

Texas residents, the amount of the exemption may not exceed the

amount of tuition the person would be charged as a Texas resident

for the number of semester credit hours for which the person

enrolls, not to exceed 15 [ 12 ] semester credit hours.

(c) An institution of higher education shall exempt a person

who receives an exemption from tuition under Subsection (b) from

the payment of all mandatory fees for any semester or term in which

the person receives the tuition exemption.

SECTION 2. Sections 437.226(c), (d), (e), (f), (g), and

(i), Government Code, are amended to read as follows:

(c) The adjutant general shall grant assistance for tuition

and mandatory fees under this section to eligible service members,

in an amount not to exceed the amount provided in the General

Appropriations Act. The adjutant general may apportion the number

of assistance awards among the components of the Texas military

forces necessary to meet the recruitment and retention needs of

those components. The number of assistance awards made to members

of the Texas State Guard may not exceed 45 [ 30 ] for any semester or

term unless the adjutant general finds a compelling need for

additional awards to members of the Texas State Guard.

(d) Assistance for tuition and mandatory fees may be awarded

under this section for tuition and mandatory fees charged for any

undergraduate or graduate course for any semester or term at an

institution of higher education or private or independent

institution of higher education, including a vocational or

technical course.

(e) A service member may not receive assistance for tuition

under this section for more than 15 [ 12 ] semester credit hours in

any semester or term .

(f) A service member may not receive assistance for tuition

and mandatory fees under this section for more than seven [ 5 ]

academic years or 15 [ 10 ] semesters or terms , whichever occurs

first for the service member.

(g) Before each semester or term , the department must

certify to the appropriate public and private institutions of

higher education a list of the service members to whom the adjutant

general has awarded assistance for tuition and mandatory fees under

this section for that semester or term . The amount of assistance

awarded by the adjutant general under this section may not exceed

the amount of money available to fund the assistance awards.

(i) From money appropriated for purposes of this section,

the department shall authorize the comptroller to make a grant to a

service member attending a private or independent institution of

higher education to whom the adjutant general has awarded

assistance for tuition and mandatory fees for the semester or term

under this section. The amount of a grant under this subsection is

an amount equal to the average amount of reimbursement the

department estimates will be paid per student for the same semester

or term under Subsection (h).

SECTION 3. This Act applies beginning with the 2025 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, 2025.