The bill amends Section 54.366(a) of the Education Code to expand eligibility for tuition and fee exemptions at public institutions of higher education for students who were under the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services. The amendments remove the requirement that the adoption or permanent managing conservatorship must occur on or after September 1, 2009, thereby allowing more students who were previously in conservatorship to qualify for these exemptions. The bill specifies that eligible students must have been under conservatorship on the day preceding their 18th birthday, on or after their 14th birthday if they were also eligible for adoption, on the day they graduated from high school, or during an academic term in which they were enrolled in a dual credit course.

Additionally, the bill stipulates that eligible students must enroll in an institution of higher education as an undergraduate or in a dual credit course by their 25th birthday. The changes will take effect starting with tuition and fees charged for the fall semester of 2025, while any tuition and fees charged before that date will continue to be governed by the previous law. The bill will take effect immediately if it receives a two-thirds majority vote in both houses; otherwise, it will take effect on September 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: Education Code 54.366 (Education Code 54)