HBA-SEP, LJP H.B. 1576 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1576 By: Telford Higher Education 2/25/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The 76th Legislature created the Toward Excellence, Access, and Success (TEXAS) grant program to give qualifying Texans the opportunity to obtain a higher education. Some students also receive Tuition Equalization Grants (TEG) which help qualifying students in Texas meet the higher costs of private school tuition. Currently, a student attending a private university who qualifies for both TEG and a TEXAS grant is allowed to receive only a portion of their TEG. House Bill 1576 authorizes a student to receive from a TEXAS grant and TEG in an academic year a maximum amount of no more than the total tuition and fees charged to the student. 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 House Bill 1576 amends the Education Code to provide that the total amount of grants a student is authorized to receive in an academic year from a Toward Excellence, Access, and Success grant and a tuition equalization grant may not exceed the total amount of tuition and fees charged to the student in that year for the academic periods for which one or more of the grants were awarded. 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 2001-2002 academic year.