By: Birdwell, et al.	S.B. No. 1735

	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
	AN ACT
	relating to tuition and fee exemptions at public institutions of
	higher education for certain military personnel and their
	dependents.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
	SECTION 1.  Section 54.341, Education Code, is amended by
	amending Subsections (a), (b-1), and (l) and adding Subsections
	(a-0), (a-5), and (p) to read as follows:
	(a)  The governing board of each institution of higher
	education shall exempt the following persons from the payment of
	tuition, dues, fees, and other required charges, including fees for
	correspondence courses but excluding general deposit fees, student
	services fees, and any fees or charges for lodging, board, or
	clothing, provided the person seeking the exemption established and
	maintained a domicile in this state as described by Section
	54.052(a)(1) and satisfies the residency requirement under
	Subsection (a-0) [currently resides in this state and entered the
	service at a location in this state, declared this state as the
	person's home of record in the manner provided by the applicable
	military or other service, or would have been determined to be a
	resident of this state for purposes of Subchapter B at the time the
	person entered the service]:
	(1)  all nurses and honorably discharged members of the
	armed forces of the United States who served during the
	Spanish-American War or during World War I;
	(2)  all nurses, members of the Women's Army Auxiliary
	Corps, members of the Women's Auxiliary Volunteer Emergency
	Service, and all honorably discharged members of the armed forces
	of the United States who served during World War II except those who
	were discharged from service because they were over the age of 38 or
	because of a personal request on the part of the person that the
	person be discharged from service;
	(3)  all honorably discharged men and women of the
	armed forces of the United States who served during the national
	emergency which began on June 27, 1950, and which is referred to as
	the Korean War; and
	(4)  all persons who were honorably discharged from the
	armed forces of the United States after serving on active military
	duty, excluding training, for more than 180 days and who served a
	portion of their active duty during:
	(A)  the Cold War which began on the date of the
	termination of the national emergency cited in Subdivision (3);
	(B)  the Vietnam era which began on December 21,
	1961, and ended on May 7, 1975;
	(C)  the Grenada and Lebanon era which began on
	August 24, 1982, and ended on July 31, 1984;
	(D)  the Panama era which began on December 20,
	1989, and ended on January 21, 1990;
	(E)  the Persian Gulf War which began on August 2,
	1990, and ends on the date thereafter prescribed by Presidential
	proclamation or September 1, 1997, whichever occurs first;
	(F)  the national emergency by reason of certain
	terrorist attacks that began on September 11, 2001; or
	(G)  any future national emergency declared in
	accordance with federal law.
	(a-0)  To be eligible for an exemption provided by this
	section, a person must have resided in this state continuously for
	the eight years immediately preceding the first class date of the
	semester or term to which the exemption would apply. This
	subsection does not apply to a person who was born in this state.
	(a-5)  A person who received an exemption under this section
	for an academic year before the 2015-2016 academic year continues
	to be eligible for the exemption provided by this section as this
	section existed on January 1, 2015.
	(b-1)  To qualify for an exemption under Subsection (a-2) or
	(b), the spouse or child must have established and maintained a
	domicile in this state as described by Section 54.052(a)(1) or (2),
	as applicable, and satisfy the residency requirement under
	Subsection (a-0) [be classified as a resident under Subchapter B on
	the date of the spouse's or child's registration].
	(l)  To be eligible to receive an exemption under Subsection
	(k), the child must:
	(1)  have established and maintained a domicile in this
	state as described by Section 54.052(a)(1) or (2), as applicable,
	and satisfy the residency requirement under Subsection (a-0) [be a
	student who is classified as a resident under Subchapter B when the
	child enrolls in an institution of higher education];
	(2)  as a graduate or undergraduate student, maintain a
	grade point average that satisfies the grade point average
	requirement for making satisfactory academic progress in a degree,
	certificate, or continuing education program as determined by the
	institution at which the child is enrolled in accordance with the
	institution's policy regarding eligibility for financial aid; and
	(3)  be 25 years of age or younger on the first day of
	the semester or other academic term for which the exemption is
	claimed.
	(p)  An institution of higher education shall require a
	person receiving an exemption under this section to complete a Free
	Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The institution may
	not use the information obtained from a person's FAFSA to encourage
	or require the person to obtain a student loan, but may use the
	information to make a person aware of grant opportunities.
	SECTION 2.  The changes in law made by this Act to Section
	54.341, Education Code, apply beginning with tuition and fees
	charged for the 2015 fall semester. Tuition and fees charged for a
	term or semester before the 2015 fall semester are governed by the
	law in effect immediately before the effective date of this Act, and
	the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
	SECTION 3.  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, 2015.