By: Howard, Darby, Crownover	H.B. No. 2396
	(Senate Sponsor - Seliger)
	(In the Senate - Received from the House May 7, 2015;
	May 11, 2015, read first time and referred to Committee on Higher
	Education; May 21, 2015, reported favorably by the following vote:
	Yeas 7, Nays 0; May 21, 2015, sent to printer.)
Click here to see the committee vote

	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
	AN ACT
	relating to eliminating requirements that certain public
	institutions of higher education set aside portions of tuition for
	student loan repayment programs for certain physicians and state
	attorneys.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
	SECTION 1.  Section 61.5391(a), Education Code, is amended
	to read as follows:
	(a)  The physician education loan repayment program account
	is an account in the general revenue fund.  The account is composed
	of:
	(1)  gifts and grants contributed to the account;
	(2)  earnings on the principal of the account; and
	(3)  other amounts deposited to the credit of the
	account, including:
	(A)  money deposited under Section [61.539(b) or]
	61.5392;
	(B)  legislative appropriations; and
	(C)  money deposited under Section 155.2415, Tax
	Code.
	SECTION 2.  Sections 61.9730 and 61.9732, Education Code,
	are amended to read as follows:
	Sec. 61.9730.  TOTAL AMOUNT OF REPAYMENT ASSISTANCE. The
	total amount of repayment assistance distributed by the board under
	this subchapter may not exceed the total amount available for the
	program under Section 61.9732 [of gifts, grants, and donations
	accepted by the board for repayment assistance and tuition set
	aside under Section 61.9731].
	Sec. 61.9732.  LIMITATIONS ON FUNDING. The loan repayment
	program under this subchapter may be funded only from:
	(1)  gifts, grants, and donations accepted by the
	board; [and]
	(2)  legislative appropriations for the program; and
	(3)  money budgeted for the program by the office of the
	attorney general from appropriations made to that office [tuition
	set aside under Section 61.9731].
	SECTION 3.  The following provisions of the Education Code
	are repealed:
	(1)  Section 61.539; and
	(2)  Section 61.9731.
	SECTION 4.  (a) The change in law made by this Act applies
	beginning with tuition charged for the 2015 fall semester.
	(b)  Tuition charged for any semester or other academic term
	before the 2015 fall semester is covered by the applicable law as it
	existed before the effective date of this Act, and the former law is
	continued in effect for that purpose.
	SECTION 5.  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, 2015.
	* * * * *