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The Guarantor of Choice SM |
TG's Legislative Report
January 3, 2005
- National Initiative Creates English-Spanish Glossary of Higher Education, Student Financial Aid Terms
- Legislative Update
- TG Sunset Advisory Commission Review and State Legislative Update
- Congressional Update
National Initiative Creates English-Spanish Glossary of Higher Education, Student Financial Aid Terms
A group of organizations from throughout the nation has created an English-Spanish glossary of standard terms relating to student financial aid and postsecondary education. The initiative includes organizations involved in student financial aid and in promoting access to higher education to Hispanics throughout the country: Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, National Association for College Admission Counseling, National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, National Council for Community and Education Partnerships, National Council of Higher Education Loan Programs, TG, U.S. Department of Education, and the U.S. General Services Administration through FirstGov en Español.
Studies have shown that fewer Hispanics continue their education after high school than do members of other ethnic groups. One reason for this appears to be the lack of awareness in Hispanic communities about financial resources available to help pay for college. Part of the challenge of providing information about college and student financial aid to Hispanics comes from the bilingual aspect of many Hispanic communities. Often, in those communities, a family's parents speak only Spanish while the children are bilingual.
Furthermore, a recent survey found that many Hispanic parents and students would prefer to learn about student financial aid in Spanish. Thus, providing Spanish-language information about college and student financial aid may facilitate college attendance among Hispanics, particularly since parental support is such an important factor in a child's college attendance and completion.
The participating organizations developed the English-Spanish glossary to provide a consistent and easy-to-use resource to help those involved in creating Spanish-language materials about higher education and student financial aid. They also created a workgroup of education, student financial aid, and Spanish-language experts who revised and merged pre-existing glossaries into a single reference tool.
The initiative encourages organizations that produce Spanish-language materials about postsecondary education and student financial aid to take advantage of this glossary to facilitate that process and to ensure greater consistency in vocabulary. Use of the glossary is entirely voluntary.
The workgroup participants will review the glossary each spring. The review will incorporate a process that will allow interested parties to provide input. In order to continue the spirit of cooperation and inclusion that has characterized the development of this glossary, the first review will be in spring 2005.
The glossary is free and available from the participating organizations or at http://www.tgslc.org/pdf/Spanish_glossary.pdf in an easily searchable Portable Document Format (PDF).
Legislative Update
Legislation pre-filed so far for consideration by the 79th Regular Session of the Texas Legislature, which convenes on January 11, 2005, signals the major topics that will take up the bulk of the 140 day Session.
Priority agenda items to be considered during the legislature's 140 day Regular session are shaping up to be FY 2006-2007 appropriations and budget deficit, public school finance, tax reform, Medicaid and health insurance for the uninsured, water and transportation policy, job creation and technology, worker compensation reform, ways to encourage prompt graduation from college to maximize state financial aid, and 29 Sunset bills, including those to reauthorize the Texas Education Agency, Lottery Commission, Cosmetology Commission, Board of Medical Examiners, Alcoholic Beverage Commission, Public Utility Commission, Public Utility Counsel, Workers' Compensation Fund, and TG.
Bills include legislation to establish a business activity tax, propose constitutional ban on gay marriage, restore funding to the state's Children's Health Insurance Program for children of the working poor, revamp the state's child and adult protective services agencies, propose constitutional amendments to require all votes taken in the House and Senate to be recorded and to reduce the definition of "majority" in each chamber in order for each to convene each day to conduct business from the current two-thirds to a simple majority, establish a state pilot school voucher program, restore funding to the health care program for public school teachers.
The following higher education/student financial aid related bills have been pre-filed for consideration during the Session.
Full background and details of each bill can be accessed at Texas Legislature Online (www.capitol.state.tx.us).
HB 19 — Relating to tuition and fee rebates for timely completion of degree programs offered by general academic teaching institutions.
HB 20 — Relating to a pilot program to provide reduced undergraduate tuition during a summer term or session at Texas A&M University.
HB 37 — Relating to automatic admission of undergraduate students to a general academic teaching institution that is a component institution of a university system.
This bill proposes to allow students admitted under the state's "Top 10 percent" law to an institution that is a part of the University of Texas System, Texas A&M University System, Texas State University System, Texas Tech University System, University of Houston System, and University of North Texas System to be enrolled by the system at any component institution within that system.
HB 40 — Relating to tuition assistance granted to certain members of state military forces attending public or private institutions of higher education.
HB 64 — Relating to the automatic admission to public institutions of higher education of certain undergraduate transfer students.
This bill proposes to require public general academic institutions to automatically admit graduates of the state's public community colleges who receive a degree with a 3.0 GPA.
HB 133 — Relating to the award of academic credit to a student at an institution of higher education for the completion of certain military training.
This bill proposes to allow certain public institutions of higher education to award credit toward completion of a degree program for certain military training that satisfies the institution's requirements for a course.
SB 30 — Relating to tuition and fee exemptions for students contracting to graduate in a timely manner from public institutions of higher education.
This bill proposes to allow a student to enter into a contract with the institution to receive an exemption for payment of tuition and fees in return for the student graduating within the prescribed time for the degree and maintaining a 15 credit hour per semester course load.
SB 31 — Relating to requiring students receiving certain financial aid at institutions of higher education to meet timely graduation and academic progress requirements.
This bills proposes to substitute "30 hours" for the" 75 percent completion" satisfactory academic progress requirement in the TEXAS Grant and Tuition Equalization Grant programs after the freshman year, and apply the same requirements as those for the Texas B-On Time loan program.
SB 32 — Relating to certain special tuition rates at institutions of higher education.
This bill proposes to allow institutions to charge lower tuition rates for summer sessions.
SB 33 — relating to graduate stipends awarded as part of the Texas B-On Time loan program.
This bill proposes to allow graduate students who received B-On Time loans as undergraduates to qualify for $2,5000 graduate stipends.
SB 34 — Relating to the tuition rebate program for certain undergraduates at certain public institutions of higher education.
This bill proposes to allow a tuition rebate for undergraduates who graduate within the prescribed time for their degree as required for a Texas B-On Time loan.
SB 71 — Relating to the prohibition of certain disclosures of a consumer's financial information.
This bill is the same as SB 76, except it does not include the consumer "opt-in" provisions.
SB 76 — Relating to a consumer's option to prevent the disclosure of the consumer's financial information by a financial institution and providing a civil penalty.
This bill proposes to prohibit financial institutions from sharing consumers non public financial information for marketing purposes with another party unless the consumer is first provided a written privacy notice stating that the financial institution may not disclose the information unless the consumer opts-in (agrees). Under the bill, financial institutions may share the information with affiliates, but the affiliates may not, in turn, share the information without going through the "opt-in" process.
SB 79 — Relating to tuition exemptions granted by public institutions of higher education to children of certain classroom teachers. This bill proposes to provide tuition exemptions to children of school teachers who are certified by the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards and have taught in a critical teaching shortage field shortage area for 10 years.
SB 80 — Relating to the percentage of certain tuition set aside to fund financial assistance for resident undergraduate and graduate students at public institutions of higher education.
This bill proposes to increase the percentage of the set aside from public university tuition charged above $46 per credit hour from 20 percent to 40 percent for resident undergraduate student aid, and from 15 percent to 20 percent for resident graduate student aid.
TG Sunset Advisory Commission Review and State Legislative Update
The final report by the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission was adopted by the Commission on December 16th and can be accessed at www.sunset.state.tx.us/79.htm under "Decisions".
TG is fully supportive of the findings and recommendations included in the report and looks forward to working with the Sunset staff and eventual Senate and House sponsors of the legislation to continue TG for 12 years.
We greatly appreciate the support exhibited by our customers during this process.
Congressional Update
The First Session of the 109th Congress convenes on January 4, 2005.
Priority items for consideration during the initial Session include FY2006 appropriations, the budget deficits and federal debt, entitlement reform — Social Security and Medicare reform — how to address the dramatically increasing unfunded liability generated by record federal borrowing to fund current spending, caps on discretionary spending, tax reform, costs of post 9/11 activities, congressional budget process reform, and several reauthorizations certain to be impacted by the above items, including highways and mass transit, Temporary Assistance for needy Families, Head Start, energy, higher education, and the Coast Guard.
Final FY2005 Education Budget
(figures in millions of dollars unless otherwise noted)| FY 2003 Final | FY 2004 Final | FY 2005 Pres. Req. | FY 2005 Final | |
| DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | ||||
| Student Financial Assistance Programs | ||||
| Pell Grants | 11,365.0 | 12,006.7 | 12,863.0 | 12,365.0 |
| Maximum Award (real figures) | (4,050.0) | (4,050.0) | (4,050.0) | (4,050.0) |
| Number of Recipients (in thousands) | 5,094.0 | 5,180.0 | 5,336.0 | N/A |
| Average Award (acad. year estimate — real figures) | 2,457.0 | 2,445.0 | 2,399.0 | N/A |
| Supplemental Grants | 760.0 | 770.4 | 770.5 | 778.7 |
| Federal Work-Study | 1,004.0 | 998.5 | 998.5 | 990.0 |
| Perkins Loans (capital contribution) | 99.4 | 98.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Perkins Loans (loan cancellation) | 67.0 | 66.7 | 66.7 | 66.1 |
| LEAP (SSIG) | 67.0 | 66.2 | 0.0 | 65.6 |
| TOTAL, ALL STUDENT AID | 13,362.0 | 14,007.3 | 14,698.7 | 14,265.6 |
| Higher Education Programs | ||||
| Strengthening Institutions | 81.5 | 81.0 | 81.0 | 80.3 |
| Strengthening HBCU's | 214.0 | 222.8 | 240.5 | 238.6 |
| Tribal Colleges and Universities | 22.9 | 23.3 | 23.8 | 23.8 |
| Minority Science Improvement | 8.9 | 8.9 | 8.9 | 8.8 |
| Strengthening Alaska/Native HI | 8.2 | 10.9 | 6.1 | 11.9 |
| Dual Degree for Minority Serv. Inst. | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Other Institutional Aid | ||||
| Hispanic Serving Institutions | 92.4 | 94.0 | 95.9 | 95.1 |
| International Studies | 93.2 | 103.7 | 103.7 | 106.8 |
| Fulbright-Hays | 12.9 | 12.8 | 12.8 | 12.7 |
| FIPSE | 171.0 | 157.7 | 32.0 | 162.6 |
| Assistance for Students | ||||
| TRIO | 827.1 | 832.6 | 832.6 | 836.5 |
| GEAR UP | 293.1 | 298.2 | 298.2 | 306.5 |
| Byrd Honors Scholarships | 41.0 | 40.8 | 40.8 | 40.7 |
| Javits Fellowships | 10.0 | 9.8 | 9.9 | 9.8 |
| Grad. Areas of National Need (GAANN) | 31.0 | 30.6 | 30.6 | 30.4 |
| Childcare Access Grants | 16.2 | 16.1 | 16.1 | 15.9 |
| Teacher Quality Enhancement | 89.0 | 88.9 | 88.9 | 68.3 |
| Thurgood Marshall Scholarship | 5.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.9 |
| OVAE: Vocational Education | ||||
| Vocational Education Basic State Grants | 1,192.0 | 1,195.0 | 1,012.0 | 1,194.3 |
| Tech-Prep Education | 107.3 | 106.7 | 0.0 | 105.8 |
| National Institute for Literacy | 6.5 | 6.6 | 6.6 | 6.6 |
| OESE: School Improvement Programs | ||||
| Teacher Training in Technology | 62.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Transition to Teaching | 41.7 | 45.3 | 45.3 | 44.9 |
| Troops to Teachers | 28.9 | 14.9 | 14.9 | 14.7 |
| Early Childhood Prof. Devel. | 14.9 | 14.8 | 14.8 | 14.6 |
| NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION | ||||
| Research & Related | 3,616.0 | 4,251.4 | 4,452.0 | 4,265.6 |
| Education & Human Resources | 908.0 | 939.0 | 772.0 | 841.2 |
| Total, all NSF (VA/HUD) | 5,028.0 | 5,190.3 | 5,224.0 | 5,106.8 |
| NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH | ||||
| Cancer Institute | 4,622.0 | 4,742.4 | 4,870.0 | 4,826.1 |
| Heart, Lung & Blood Institute | 2,812.0 | 2,880.0 | 2,964.0 | 2,941.3 |
| Diabetes | 1,633.0 | 1,821.2 | 1,876.1 | 1,862.6 |
| Neurology & Stroke | 1,466.0 | 1,501.8 | 1,545.6 | 1,539.9 |
| Allergy & Infectious Diseases | 3,730.0 | 4,303.1 | 4,340.0 | 4,305.3 |
| Eye Institute | 637.3 | 653.3 | 671.5 | 669.1 |
| Institutes of Alcohol Abuse & Drug Abuse | 1,386.4 | 1,419.2 | 1,461.0 | 1,445.0 |
| Mental Health | 1,350.0 | 1,381.2 | 1,420.1 | 1,412.2 |
| Research Resources | 1,146.2 | 1,179.1 | 1,094.1 | 1,115.1 |
| TOTAL, listed NIH programs | 18,782.9 | 19,741.6 | 20,242.4 | 20,116.6 |
| OTHER PROGRAMS | ||||
| National Endowment/ Arts | 115.7 | 121.0 | 139.0 | 122.0 |
| National Endowment/ Humanities | 109.7 | 135.2 | 162.0 | 138.9 |
TG Congressional and Legislative Relations
(512) 219-4503
P.O. Box 83100
Round Rock, TX 78683-3100
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