PARTICIPATION ELIGIBILITY: CERTAIN FACULTY OF INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION.

(a) An adjunct faculty member at a public institution of higher education is eligible to participate in the group benefits program as an employee if the faculty member:

(1) receives compensation for services rendered to a public institution of higher education as an adjunct faculty member;

(2) was employed as a faculty member by the same public institution of higher education and taught at least one course in the regular fall and spring semester at the public institution of higher education in the preceding academic year; and

(3) is under contract or is scheduled to teach at least 12 semester credit hours in the academic year of coverage or, if the person is also employed by the public institution of higher education to perform nonteaching duties, is under contract or is scheduled to teach at least six semester credit hours in the academic year of coverage and has been approved by the public institution of higher education to participate in the group benefits program.

(a-1) Notwithstanding Subsection (a)(3), an adjunct faculty member at a public institution of higher education who is a professional librarian is eligible to participate in the group benefits program as an employee if the faculty member receives compensation for services rendered to a public institution of higher education as an adjunct faculty member.

(b) From money appropriated from a fund other than the general revenue fund or from money available from local sources, a public institution of higher education may, for an adjunct faculty member eligible to receive benefits under this section, contribute:

(1) not more than 50 percent of the cost of basic coverage for the employee; and

(2) not more than 25 percent of the cost of dependent coverage.

(c) Subsection (b) does not prohibit a public institution of higher education from contributing, from money other than money appropriated from the general revenue fund, amounts that exceed the amount specified in Subsection (b) to provide coverage for a person employed by a public institution of higher education who meets the criteria for eligibility under Subsection (a).