Committee adopts substitute extending tuition and fee exemptions for students formerly in DFPS conservatorship to their 20th birthday

The Senate Committee on Education K‑16 adopted a committee substitute for House Bill 1211 that extends eligibility for tuition and fee exemptions at public institutions of higher education to students who were under the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services until their 20th birthday.

Sponsor Sen. Menendez said the substitute is "a very simple committee sub." The original bill would have removed the existing age deadline entirely; after stakeholder conversations lawmakers agreed to extend the deadline to the 20th birthday as a compromise. Menendez said the sponsor and stakeholders, including Representative Luhan, worked to reach a solution that provides additional time to use the exemption.

Senators adopted the substitute without objection and voted 11‑0 to report the bill favorably to the full Senate. Sen. West moved the substitute be recommended for the local and uncontested calendar; there was no objection.

If enacted, the change would give students who aged out of DFPS conservatorship additional time to access tuition and laboratory fee waivers at public institutions of higher education through their 20th birthday; further technical work on statutory text and implementation would continue as the bill moves forward.