HBA-LJP C.S.H.B. 459 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.H.B. 459 By: Carter Higher Education 2/19/2001 Committee Report (Substituted) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Under current law, children of deceased or disabled police officers or volunteer firefighters may receive an exemption from tuition and fees at public institutions of higher education for eight consecutive semesters, not including summer sessions. C.S.H.B. 459 changes this amount to 120 hours and makes other modifications to give students more flexibility in accessing the exemptions. 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 C.S.H.B. 459 amends the Education Code to provide that a person eligible for an exemption from tuition and fees as a child of a disabled firefighter or peace officer may only receive the exemption for the first 120 hours of undergraduate credit hours for which the person registers. The person is not entitled to the exemption if the person does not apply for the exemption before the date the person becomes 21 years of age, or 22 years of age if the person is eligible to participate in a school district's special education program. An eligible person is not entitled to the exemption for a semester or term that begins on or after the date the person becomes 26 years of age. 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. COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE The substitute modifies the original bill to change the term firemen to firefighters.