H.B. No. 184 proposes the establishment of a new subchapter within Chapter 61 of the Education Code, specifically aimed at providing student loan repayment assistance for prosecuting attorneys employed by the border prosecution unit. The bill defines the "border prosecution unit" and outlines the eligibility criteria for attorneys seeking assistance, which includes being licensed in Texas and having completed one to four consecutive years of employment with the unit. The board is authorized to provide loan repayment assistance for eligible student loans, with a maximum assistance period of four years and a total cap of $110,000 per attorney. Additionally, the total amount of loan repayment assistance awarded under this subchapter cannot exceed $2 million in each state fiscal biennium.
The bill also details the process for loan repayment, specifying that assistance can be delivered in a lump sum to either the attorney or directly to the loan holder. It establishes the percentage of loan repayment assistance that attorneys can receive each year, set at 25% for each of the four years. Furthermore, the board is tasked with adopting necessary rules for administering the program, including provisions for reimbursement if an attorney does not complete the required four years of service. The Act is set to take effect on September 1, 2025.
Statutes affected: Introduced: ()