H.B. No. 1527 proposes amendments to Section 54.3531 of the Education Code, focusing on tuition and fee exemptions for certain peace officers at public institutions of higher education. The bill stipulates that the governing board of an institution must exempt from tuition and laboratory fees any student who is employed as a peace officer, enrolled in a law enforcement-related degree program, making satisfactory academic progress, and who applies for the exemption in a timely manner. Notably, the bill removes the specific mention of "criminal justice or law enforcement" courses and instead broadens the definition of eligible degree programs to include various fields such as criminal justice, political science, emergency management, nursing, and computer science, among others.

The changes will take effect starting with the tuition and fees charged for the fall semester of 2025, while any academic periods prior to that will continue to be governed by the existing law. The bill also includes a provision for immediate effect if it receives a two-thirds majority vote from both houses of the legislature; otherwise, it will take effect on September 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: Education Code 54.3531 (Education Code 54)