HBA-LJP H.B. 1467 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1467 By: Maxey Higher Education 2/25/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Although tuition at community and junior colleges is generally less expensive than at universities, many people would be unable to attend a community or junior college without financial assistance. The Texas Public Educational Grants Program is a campus-based program that helps provide financial aid to lower income students who attend community and junior colleges. Under current law, the governing boards of junior or community colleges are required to set aside six percent of a resident student's hourly tuition charges for academic and vocational-technical courses for the Texas Public Educational Grants Program. House Bill 1467 allows the governing board of a junior or community college to raise the maximum percentage set aside for the Texas Public Educational Grants Program. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS House Bill 1467 amends the Education Code to raise from six percent to not less than six percent and not more than twenty percent the maximum percentage that a governing board of a junior or community college is required to set aside for the Texas Public Educational Grants Program out of each resident student's hourly tuition charges for academic and vocational-technical courses. EFFECTIVE DATE On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act takes effect September 1, 2001. The Act applies beginning with the fall semester 2001.