Bill Text: TX HB2026 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Relating to the Rural Veterinarian Incentive Program.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2023-06-18 - Effective immediately [HB2026 Detail]
Download: Texas-2023-HB2026-Enrolled.html
H.B. No. 2026 |
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relating to the Rural Veterinarian Incentive Program. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Section 56.101(7), Education Code, is amended to | ||
read as follows: | ||
(7) "Rural county" means a county in this state with a | ||
population of less than 150,000 [ |
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SECTION 2. Section 56.105(b), Education Code, is amended to | ||
read as follows: | ||
(b) To participate as a sponsor in the program, the | ||
community or political subdivision must enter into an agreement | ||
with the eligible participant to provide financial support to the | ||
eligible participant in an amount not less than the tuition and fees | ||
required for a full academic year for a student enrolled in a [ |
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college in exchange for the eligible participant's agreement to | ||
practice veterinary medicine in the sponsoring community or | ||
political subdivision. | ||
SECTION 3. Sections 56.106(a) and (b), Education Code, are | ||
amended to read as follows: | ||
(a) To participate in the program, an eligible participant | ||
must enter into an agreement with the Texas Higher Education | ||
Coordinating Board [ |
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(1) requires the participant to practice veterinary | ||
medicine in a rural county for one calendar year for each academic | ||
year for which the participant receives financial support under the | ||
program; | ||
(2) specifies the conditions the participant must | ||
satisfy to receive financial support under the program; | ||
(3) provides that any financial support the | ||
participant receives under the program constitutes a loan until the | ||
participant satisfies the conditions of the agreement; and | ||
(4) requires the participant to sign a promissory note | ||
acknowledging the conditional nature of the financial support | ||
received under the program and promising to repay the amount of the | ||
financial support, any applicable interest, and reasonable | ||
collection costs if the participant does not satisfy the conditions | ||
of the agreement. | ||
(b) The financial support received by an eligible | ||
participant under this subchapter must be used to retire student | ||
loan debt or to pay tuition and fees to a college [ |
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SECTION 4. 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, 2023. | ||
______________________________ | ______________________________ | |
President of the Senate | Speaker of the House | |
I certify that H.B. No. 2026 was passed by the House on May 2, | ||
2023, by the following vote: Yeas 112, Nays 33, 1 present, not | ||
voting; that the House refused to concur in Senate amendments to | ||
H.B. No. 2026 on May 23, 2023, and requested the appointment of a | ||
conference committee to consider the differences between the two | ||
houses; and that the House adopted the conference committee report | ||
on H.B. No. 2026 on May 28, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 118, | ||
Nays 26, 2 present, not voting. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Chief Clerk of the House | ||
I certify that H.B. No. 2026 was passed by the Senate, with | ||
amendments, on May 18, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 27, Nays | ||
4; at the request of the House, the Senate appointed a conference | ||
committee to consider the differences between the two houses; and | ||
that the Senate adopted the conference committee report on H.B. No. | ||
2026 on May 27, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 27, Nays 4. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Secretary of the Senate | ||
APPROVED: __________________ | ||
Date | ||
__________________ | ||
Governor |