SB 1835: Sparks’s bill raising the cap on nonresident scholarship students

Caption

relating to the maximum number of nonresident scholarship students permitted to pay resident tuition and fees at certain public institutions of higher education.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

In-state tuition cap goes from 5 percent to 20 percent.

The bill raises the cap on how many out-of-state scholarship students can pay in-state tuition at a Texas public college, from 5 percent to 20 percent of enrollment at some schools. The higher cap applies only to schools in regions growing slower than the state average that also have room to spare, as decided by Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board rule. Starting with the 2025-2026 school year, qualifying schools can enroll four times as many of these students at the in-state rate, and the coordinating board must write rules to run it.

Labels

Labels: GOT HALFWAY. Passed the Senate on May 13, 2025. Died in the House: voted out of the Higher Education committee 8-3, no floor vote.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-SB1835 · 2025-03-03

SOLD BY

Sen. Kevin SparksRSenate 31

ITEM

relating to the maximum number of nonresident scholarship students permitted to pay resident tuition and fees at certain public institutions of higher education.

WHAT IT DOES

In-state tuition cap goes from 5 percent to 20 percent.

The bill raises the cap on how many out-of-state scholarship students can pay in-state tuition at a Texas public college, from 5 percent to 20 percent of enrollment at some schools. The higher cap applies only to schools in regions growing slower than the state average that also have room to spare, as decided by Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board rule. Starting with the 2025-2026 school year, qualifying schools can enroll four times as many of these students at the in-state rate, and the coordinating board must write rules to run it.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version E · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version E · May 18, 2025

No first-year general revenue figure available here.

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

HISTORY

Mar 3, 2025Received by the Secretary of the Senate
Mar 3, 2025Filed
Mar 13, 2025Read first time
Mar 13, 2025Referred to Education K-16
Apr 22, 2025Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
Apr 22, 2025Considered in public hearing
Apr 22, 2025Testimony taken in committee
Apr 22, 2025Left pending in committee
May 6, 2025Considered in public hearing
May 6, 2025Vote taken in committee
May 7, 2025Reported favorably as substituted
May 8, 2025Committee report printed and distributed
May 9, 2025Placed on intent calendar
May 12, 2025Rules suspended-Regular order of business
May 12, 2025Vote recorded in Journal
May 12, 2025Read 2nd time
May 12, 2025Amendment(s) offered FA1 Schwertner
May 12, 2025Amended
May 12, 2025Record vote
May 12, 2025Passed to engrossment as amended
May 12, 2025Record vote
May 13, 2025Rules suspended-Regular order of business
May 13, 2025Record vote
May 13, 2025Read 3rd time
May 13, 2025Passed
May 13, 2025Record vote
May 13, 2025Reported engrossed
May 13, 2025Received from the Senate
May 14, 2025Read first time
May 14, 2025Referred to Higher Education
May 19, 2025Considered in formal meeting
May 19, 2025Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)
May 20, 2025Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator
May 20, 2025Committee report distributed
May 21, 2025Committee report sent to Calendars

FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

SIGNED FOR BY

Senate · 20 yea · 11 nay

Sources

Senate: Final passage · May 13, 2025. Journal. Published stock for this vote. Snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

All floor motions and other positions below.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Kevin Sparks

Donors

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$60KKyle & Jamie Stallings$25,000Tim Dunn$25,000

Not tied to this bill.

Sources

The author's campaign account only. Own money and internal transfers are separate on the member page.

Derived itemized flow · Jul 25, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$60,000.00

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$60,000.00

Cash: $60,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $60,000.00

Also funds 124 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 10, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Oct 15, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101012623, 101029380, 101072732.

Kyle & Jamie Stallings$25,000.00

Tim Dunn$25,000.00

Money

Missing data does not establish zero giving. Display amounts are rounded.

×

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$60,000.00

Cash: $60,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $60,000.00

Also funds 124 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 10, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Oct 15, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101012623, 101029380, 101072732.

Votes4

Senate May 13, 2025

Yea: 20
Nay: 11
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: 0
Excused: 0

Names

Named positions matched to lawmakers. See the journal for unmatched names.

Senate journal

Sources

The bill was read third time and was passed by the following vote: Yeas 20, Nays 11. (Same as previous roll call)

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

Yea: 20 (published)
Nay: 11 (published)
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: 0 (derived from named list)
Excused: 0 (derived from named list)

Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate May 13, 2025

Yea: 20
Nay: 11
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: 0
Excused: 0

Names

Named positions matched to lawmakers. See the journal for unmatched names.

Senate journal

Sources

Senator Sparks moved to suspend the regular order of business to take up for consideration CSSB 1835 at this time on its third reading and final passage: CSSB 1835, Relating to the maximum number of nonresident scholarship students permitted to pay resident tuition and fees at certain public institutions of higher education. The motion prevailed by the following vote: Yeas 20, Nays 11.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

Yea: 20 (published)
Nay: 11 (published)
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: 0 (derived from named list)
Excused: 0 (derived from named list)

Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate May 12, 2025

Yea: 20
Nay: 10
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: 0
Excused: 1

Names

Named positions matched to lawmakers. See the journal for unmatched names.

Senate journal

Sources

CSSB 1835 as amended was passed to engrossment by the following vote: Yeas 20, Nays 10. (Same as previous roll call)

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

Yea: 20 (published)
Nay: 10 (published)
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: 0 (derived from named list)
Excused: 1 (derived from named list)

Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate May 12, 2025

Yea: 20
Nay: 10
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: 0
Excused: 1

Names

Named positions matched to lawmakers. See the journal for unmatched names.

Senate journal

Sources

The amendment to CSSB 1835 was read and was adopted by the following vote: Yeas 20, Nays 10.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

Yea: 20 (published)
Nay: 10 (published)
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: 0 (derived from named list)
Excused: 1 (derived from named list)

Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Witnesses9

For: 2
Against: 5
On: 2

Names

For

Self1 registration
Self; Texas Eagle Forum1 registration

Against

Self4 registrations
Self; Every Texan1 registration

On

West Texas A&M University1 registration
WTAMU1 registration

Sources

9 parsed registrations across the loaded witness lists.

Derived stock of witness registrations. Repeated appearances count separately. Organizations and self-representation appear as printed.

Senate witness list. Source snapshot 2026-10-20, Central time.

Fiscal

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version E · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version E · May 18, 2025

No first-year general revenue figure available here.

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

How this was graded

Analysis of text version I by claude-opus-5-5, Oct 20, 2026, against the published rubric.

Sources

Texas Senate · Filed Mar 3, 2025

05/21/2025 H Committee report sent to Calendars

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced · Senate Committee Report · Engrossed · House Committee Report

Data snapshot Oct 26, 2026 at 6:51 AM CDT. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.

Companion

HB 3574 by Smithee (identical)

Subjects

Education--Higher--Institutions & Programs

Education--Higher--Student Financial Aid

Education--Higher--Tuition

Education--Rural

SCHOLARSHIPS

HIGHER EDUCATION COORDINATING BOARD, TEXAS

Text

The text as introduced · 296 words

89R12181 AND-D

By: Sparks
S.B. No. 1835

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the maximum number of nonresident scholarship students

permitted to pay resident tuition and fees at certain public

institutions of higher education.

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

SECTION 1. Section 54.213, Education Code, is amended by

amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (c) to read as

follows:

(b) The total number of students at an institution paying

resident tuition under this section for a particular semester may

not exceed :

(1) five percent of the total number of students

registered at the institution for the same semester of the

preceding academic year if the institution is not an institution to

which Subdivision (2) applies; or

(2) 20 percent of the total number of students

registered at the institution for the same semester of the

preceding academic year if as determined by Texas Higher Education

Coordinating Board rule:

(A) the institution is located in a region that

is experiencing a population growth rate less than the statewide

average based on the most recent available data; and

(B) the most recent space usage efficiency report

prepared by the coordinating board indicates the institution has

sufficient capacity to support the nonresident students .

(c) The coordinating board shall adopt rules as necessary to

implement this section.

SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act to Section

54.213, Education Code, applies beginning with the 2025-2026

academic year.

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, 2025.

Verdict: No flags

The receipt

SOLD BY

ITEM

WHAT IT DOES

CHARGES

TOTAL

HISTORY

SIGNED FOR BY

Donors

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

Senate May 13, 2025

Senate May 13, 2025

Senate May 12, 2025

Senate May 12, 2025

For

Against

On

Companion