Successful Military and Veterans Legislation 79th Session HB 25 (Delisi)- Assists military kids and children of mobile families through alternate exit exams and faster records transfers. HB 296 (McClendon, Delisi co-author)- Passed as SB 143 (Wentworth/McClendon)- Allows more time to complete continuing education requirements for teachers called to active duty military. HB 417 (Delisi)- Allows military retirees in state government to use TRICARE system with a wraparound policy covered by state. HB 1170 (Miller, Delisi co-author)- Requires the readmission of students who withdraw from an institution of higher education to perform active military service without a reapplication or payment of a fee for admission. HB 2931 (Delisi)- Allows smaller cities to partner on federal military projects with bond funds. SB 252 (Estes/Delisi)- Allows the use of local economic development sales tax to assist with BRAC items. 78th Session HB 261- (Hupp, Delisi co-author)- Provides that a member of the military, or their child or spouse, who is entitled to pay in-state tuition and fees at the rate while enrolled in a degree or certificate program is entitled to pay in-state tuition and fees in any subsequent term or semester while the person is continuously enrolled in the same degree or certificate program; this does not terminate because the person leaves the military. HB 591 (Delisi)- Requires TEA to pursue reciprocity agreements governing the terms of transfers with other states, identifying certain priority states, and to report the results of those efforts.  Also requires such an agreement to address allowing a student to fulfill exit level requirements through comparable instruments administered in other states. HJR 68 (Hupp, Delisi co-author)- The Texas Constitution did not provide for the use of assets in the veterans' land program or the veterans' housing assistance program for the state veterans home program.  H.J.R. 68 proposed an amendment to the Texas Constitution to authorize VLB, if it determines that receipts of the veterans' land fund, veterans' housing assistance fund or veterans' housing assistance fund II are not required for the payment of debt service on the general obligation bonds benefiting those funds, to use such receipts to pay the debt service on any revenue bonds issued by the VLB. The proposed amendment also authorizes VLB to use assets from these various funds to plan, design, construct, acquire, own, operate, maintain, enlarge, improve, furnish, or equip veterans homes.  Also changed the method used to calculate payouts from the Permanent School Fund from dividends and interest to total-return. SB 652 (Shapleigh/Corte et. al.)- Assists local defense communities in identifying and resourcing cooperative economic development initiatives that enhance the real military value of their installations, provides important cost saving options (e.g., reduction of installation utility rates) to reduce overall base operating costs and increase funds for training and mission needs, and institutionalizes the process of investing in Texas’ military bases.  The 78th Session's main BRAC bill. 77th Session HB 234 (Hawley, et. al.)- Generally, a person seeking to enter a public institution of higher education as an undergraduate student is required to take the Texas Academic  Skills Program (TASP) test. Some colleges and universities located in the vicinity of military installations have expressed a need and a desire to enroll military personnel in their institutions, but found that some of these potential students would not even attempt to enroll when they find out they have to take the TASP test.  House Bill 234 exempts a student serving on active duty as a member of the armed forces of the United States from being required to take the TASP test or, as appropriate, the Stanford Achievement Test. HB 310 (Flores, et. al.)- Authorizes the Veterans Land Board to establish a program for providing financial assistance for the establishment of veterans cemeteries. HB 1941 (Delisi)- Previously, the spouse or dependent child of a member of the military who was not assigned to duty in Texas, but previously resided in Texas for a year, was entitled to pay Texas resident rates at a state institution of higher education. If the member did not fulfill the requirement of one year of previous residence in Texas, then the spouse or the dependent child of the member would have to pay the nonresident Texas rate. This bill lowers the time period that the member must have previously lived in Texas from one year to six months. HB 2125 (Hawley, et. al.)- Authorizes the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to pursue reciprocity agreements with other states to facilitate the transfer of military students. HB 2143 (Delisi)- Prohibits districts from charging tuition for students who are domiciled in another state, but who reside in military housing that is located in the district. 75th Session HB 2214 (Delisi)- Grants exemptions from tuition and fees for correspondence courses to individuals currently eligible for exemptions from other courses and fees under Section 54.203, Education Code, relating to educational cost exemptions for certain veterans and dependents of veterans. HB 2394 (Delisi)- Institutions of higher education are instructed to exempt veterans and veterans' dependents from the payment "of all dues, fees, and charges, including fees for correspondence courses but excluding property deposit fees, student service fees, and any fees or charges for lodging, board and clothing..." under Section 54.203(a), Education Code. This has afforded many veterans well-deserved exemptions and allowed them to attain quality education. However, the truck driving and aircraft flight training courses have high course fees for already under-funded programs. H.B. 2394 excludes fees for truck driving and aircraft flight training courses from exemptions for veterans and veterans' dependents so that institutions of higher education may maintain the courses as part of their curricula and cease loss of revenue from these fee exemptions. SB 474 (Ogden/Delisi)- Provides specific guidelines for granting resident tuition to persons residing in Texas who are the spouses and children of members of the Armed Forces who are stationed outside the state. 75th Session HB 30 (Willy, et. al.)- Relating to exempting from ad valorem taxation certain property of organizations of members or veterans of the armed forces. SB 1456 (Ike Harris/Delisi)- Relating to the renewal by the State Board of Insurance of a license, certificate, or other authorization to perform an activity regulated under the insurance laws of this state that is held by certain persons on active duty in the United States armed forces. Military and Veterans Bills Filed, Not Passed 78th Session HB 405 (Miller, Delisi co-author)- Texas allows a spouse or children of a member of the military to receive in-state residency status for college tuition. However, if the member of the military is transferred out of Texas or deployed overseas, the spouse or child could lose residency status and have to pay significantly higher tuition. The bill provides that a child or spouse of a member of the military who has served in Texas for six month is required to receive in-state tuition as long as the spouse or child resides continuously in Texas. HB 682 (Delisi)- A spouse or dependent child of a member of the military who is not assigned to duty in Texas but who has previously resided in Texas for a 12-month period is entitled to automatic admission in the manner provided by for Texas residents if the person: (1) graduated with a grade point average in the top 10 percent of the person's high school graduating class in one of the two school years preceding the academic year for which the person is applying for admission and graduated from a public or private high school in this state or in any other place that is accredited by a generally recognized accrediting organization operated in the state or other jurisdiction where the high school is located; and  (2)  is a Texas resident or is otherwise entitled to pay tuition and fees at the rate provided for Texas residents for the academic year for which the person is applying for admission. 77th Session HB 515 (Wise, et. al.)- Establishes a special permanent fund for veterans' care to finance certain veterans' programs, such as veterans' homes, the construction and maintenance of Texas veterans' cemeteries, and a grant program administered by the Texas Veterans Commission for local communities involved in veterans' health care. HB 1942 (Delisi)- Provides that a spouse or dependent child of a member of the military who graduates from high school outside Texas qualifies for automatic admission to institutions of higher education under the top 10 percent rule and entitles those automatically admitted to pay tuition and fees at the rate provided for Texas  residents. HCR 114 (Delisi)- Calls for the first state veterans cemetery to be located at Fort Hood in Bell County, contingent on the passage of legislation creating a Texas Veterans Cemetery System. 76th Session HB 1451 (Delisi)- Creates a Texas Troops to Teachers program to facilitate the employment of eligible individuals with school districts experiencing a shortage of teachers. Copyright © 2003 - DianneDelisi.com. All Rights Reserved. Legal | Privacy Site Design by Woodward Creative Group, LLC.