Bill Text: TX HB290 | 2025-2026 | 89th Legislature | Engrossed

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Bill Title: Relating to assistance for tuition and fees at postsecondary educational institutions for certain members of the Texas military forces.

Sponsorship: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 6-3)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2025-05-23 - Left pending in committee [HB290 Detail]

Download: Texas-2025-HB290-Engrossed.html

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89R2394 CXP-D
By: Lopez of Bexar, et al. H.B. No. 290

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to assistance for tuition and fees at postsecondary
educational institutions for certain members of the Texas military
forces.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Sections 54.345(b) and (c), Education Code, are
amended to read as follows:
(b) An institution of higher education shall exempt a person
certified by the adjutant general as described by Subsection (a)
from the payment of tuition for the semester credit hours for which
the person enrolls, not to exceed 15 [12] semester credit hours. If
the person is not charged tuition at the rate provided for other
Texas residents, the amount of the exemption may not exceed the
amount of tuition the person would be charged as a Texas resident
for the number of semester credit hours for which the person
enrolls, not to exceed 15 [12] semester credit hours.
(c) An institution of higher education shall exempt a person
who receives an exemption from tuition under Subsection (b) from
the payment of all mandatory fees for any semester or term in which
the person receives the tuition exemption.
SECTION 2. Sections 437.226(c), (d), (e), (f), (g), and
(i), Government Code, are amended to read as follows:
(c) The adjutant general shall grant assistance for tuition
and mandatory fees under this section to eligible service members,
in an amount not to exceed the amount provided in the General
Appropriations Act. The adjutant general may apportion the number
of assistance awards among the components of the Texas military
forces necessary to meet the recruitment and retention needs of
those components. The number of assistance awards made to members
of the Texas State Guard may not exceed 45 [30] for any semester or
term unless the adjutant general finds a compelling need for
additional awards to members of the Texas State Guard.
(d) Assistance for tuition and mandatory fees may be awarded
under this section for tuition and mandatory fees charged for any
undergraduate or graduate course for any semester or term at an
institution of higher education or private or independent
institution of higher education, including a vocational or
technical course.
(e) A service member may not receive assistance for tuition
under this section for more than 15 [12] semester credit hours in
any semester or term.
(f) A service member may not receive assistance for tuition
and mandatory fees under this section for more than seven [5]
academic years or 15 [10] semesters or terms, whichever occurs
first for the service member.
(g) Before each semester or term, the department must
certify to the appropriate public and private institutions of
higher education a list of the service members to whom the adjutant
general has awarded assistance for tuition and mandatory fees under
this section for that semester or term. The amount of assistance
awarded by the adjutant general under this section may not exceed
the amount of money available to fund the assistance awards.
(i) From money appropriated for purposes of this section,
the department shall authorize the comptroller to make a grant to a
service member attending a private or independent institution of
higher education to whom the adjutant general has awarded
assistance for tuition and mandatory fees for the semester or term
under this section. The amount of a grant under this subsection is
an amount equal to the average amount of reimbursement the
department estimates will be paid per student for the same semester
or term under Subsection (h).
SECTION 3. This Act applies beginning with the 2025 fall
semester.
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, 2025.