FINANCIAL AID FOR SWIFT TRANSFER (FAST) PROGRAM.

(a) In this section:

(1) "Charter school" means a charter school operating under Chapter 12.

(2) "Coordinating board" means the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

(3) "Dual credit course" includes a course offered for joint high school and junior college credit under Section 130.008 or another course offered by an institution of higher education for which a high school student may earn credit toward satisfaction of:

(A) a requirement necessary to obtain an industry-recognized credential or certificate or an associate degree;

(B) a foreign language requirement at an institution of higher education;

(C) a requirement in the core curriculum, as that term is defined by Section 61.821, at an institution of higher education; or

(D) a requirement in a field of study curriculum developed by the coordinating board under Section 61.823.

(4) "Institution of higher education" has the meaning assigned by Section 61.003.

(5) "School district" includes the Windham School District.

(b) The agency and the coordinating board shall jointly establish the Financial Aid for Swift Transfer (FAST) program to allow eligible students to enroll at no cost to the student in dual credit courses at participating institutions of higher education.

(c) A student is eligible to enroll at no cost in a dual credit course under the program if the student:

(1) is enrolled:

(A) in a grade level from 9 through 12 in a school district or charter school; and

(B) in a dual credit course at a participating institution of higher education; and

(2) was educationally disadvantaged at any time during:

(A) the school year in which the student enrolls in the dual credit course described by Subdivision (1)(B); or

(B) the four school years preceding the student's enrollment in the dual credit course described by Subdivision (1)(B).

(c-1) Notwithstanding Subsection (c)(1)(A), a student otherwise described by Subsection (c) is eligible to enroll at no cost in a dual credit course under the program if the student has graduated from high school but is:

(1) enrolled in a school district or open-enrollment charter school at a campus designated as a P-TECH school under Section 29.556 or in a school district participating in a partnership under Section 29.912; and

(2) completing a course of study offered through an articulation agreement or memorandum of understanding with an institution of higher education and the district or school described by Subdivision (1), as applicable, under the Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) program under Subchapter N, Chapter 29, or the Rural Pathway Excellence Partnership (R-PEP) program under Section 29.912.

(d) An institution of higher education is eligible to participate in the program only if the institution charges for each dual credit course offered by the institution an amount of tuition that does not exceed the amount prescribed by coordinating board rule.

(e) Each school district or charter school shall:

(1) on the enrollment of a student in a grade level from 9 through 12 in a dual credit course, determine whether the student meets the criteria for the program under Subsection (c)(2); and

(2) notify the institution of higher education that offers the dual credit course in which the student is enrolled of the district's or school's determination under Subdivision (1).

(f) A school district or charter school may make the determination under Subsection (e)(1) based on the district's or school's records, the agency's records, or any other method authorized by commissioner or coordinating board rule. If the district or school bases the determination on a method other than the agency's records, the district or school shall report the method used and the data on which the method is based to the agency for purposes of verification. The agency shall make available to school districts and charter schools any available and relevant data for making the determination required under Subsection (e)(1).

(g) At least once each year, a participating institution of higher education shall certify to the agency and the coordinating board the student's eligibility for the program. Notwithstanding Section 54.051, a participating institution of higher education may not charge tuition or fees for the enrollment in a dual credit course at the institution of a student for whom the institution receives notice under Subsection (e)(2).

(h) The coordinating board shall distribute money transferred to the coordinating board under Section 48.309 to the participating institutions of higher education in proportion to the number of dual credit courses in which eligible students are enrolled at the institution.

(i) The commissioner and the commissioner of higher education shall coordinate as necessary to:

(1) confirm an eligible student's enrollment in a participating institution of higher education; and

(2) obtain or share data necessary to verify a student's eligibility under Subsection (c)(2).

(j) The commissioner and the coordinating board shall adopt rules as necessary to implement this section. Notwithstanding Section 61.033, the coordinating board is not required to use negotiated rulemaking procedures under Chapter 2008, Government Code, for the adoption of rules under this section.