HBA-LJP H.B. 2980 77(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 2980
By: Dukes
Higher Education
4/1/2001
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Under current law, children of full-paid or volunteer firemen and peace
officers disabled or killed in the line of duty are exempt from the payment
of tuition and required fees at an institution of higher education
(institution), but children of firefighters and peace officers who are not
disabled are not exempt from the payment of tuition and required fees.
Because of the low salaries of many firefighters and peace officers, it is
difficult for many of these children to afford the rising cost of higher
education.  House Bill 2980 requires the governing board of each
institution of higher education to exempt from the payment of tuition and
required fees, an undergraduate student at the institution who is the child
of a qualified firefighter or qualified peace officer. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that rulemaking
authority is expressly delegated to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating
Board in SECTION 1 (Section 54.2042, Education Code) and SECTION 2 of this
bill. 

ANALYSIS

House Bill 2980 amends the Education Code to require the governing board of
each institution of higher education to exempt from the payment of tuition
and required fees, an undergraduate student who is the child of a person
who, at the beginning of the semester or summer session for which the
exemption is sought, is a qualified firefighter or qualified peace officer
and has 10 or more years of experience in that capacity.  The bill provides
that a person is not eligible for the exemption if the person has
previously received the exemption for 10 semesters or summer sessions at
any institution of higher education or has received a baccalaureate degree.
The bill also provides that a summer term or other academic session that is
less than nine weeks in duration is considered one-half a regular semester
or summer session.  The bill provides that a student must apply to the
institution from which the exemption is sought in the time and manner
required by the rules of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
(THECB) to receive an exemption. 

The bill requires THECB to adopt rules governing the exemption, including
rules relating to the determination of eligibility for an exemption and
procedures for the verification of a person's status as a qualified
firefighter or peace officer, and to prescribe application forms for the
exemption. 

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.