S.B. No. 579




AN ACT
relating to the eligibility of children of certain military personnel to receive Texas B-On-time loans. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Section 56.455, Education Code, is amended to read 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 54.058 [for purposes of Subchapter B, Chapter 54]; (2) meet one of the following academic requirements: (A) be a graduate of a public or accredited 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] (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 2. (a) The change in law made by this Act relating to the eligibility of a person to receive a Texas B-On-time loan applies beginning with loans awarded for the 2005–2006 academic year. Loans awarded for an academic year before the 2005–2006 academic year are covered by the law in effect immediately before the effective date of this Act, and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. (b) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall adopt rules for the administration of Section 56.455, Education Code, as amended by this Act, as soon as practicable after this Act takes effect. For that purpose, the coordinating board may adopt the rules in the manner provided by law for emergency rules. 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, 2005.
______________________________ ______________________________ President of the Senate Speaker of the House
I hereby certify that S.B. No. 579 passed the Senate on April 21, 2005, by the following vote: Yeas 30, Nays 0. ______________________________ Secretary of the Senate I hereby certify that S.B. No. 579 passed the House on May 20, 2005, by the following vote: Yeas 138, Nays 0, two present not voting. ______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House Approved: ______________________________ Date ______________________________ Governor