High School Students: Apply for the Texas Armed Services Scholarship

State Rep. Mike Schofield (photo courtesy Mike Schofield)

Accepting Applications Through June 29

We will be accepting applications for the Texas Armed Services Scholarship Program (TASSP) through Friday, June 29. The Texas Armed Services Scholarship was created by the Texas Legislature to encourage students to participate in Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) programs at Texas colleges and provides select students with up to four years of scholarship awards.

Students who wish to apply must enter into an agreement requiring a four year commitment as a member of the Texas Army National Guard, Texas Air National Guard, Texas State Guard, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Merchant Marine or a commissioned officer in any branch of the armed services of the United States. Additionally, interested applicants must meet two of the following four academic criteria:

1. Be on track to graduate, or has graduated high school and complete the curriculum requirements of the Distinguished Level of Achievement Plan, or the International Baccalaureate Program (IB);
2. Have a high school GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale;
3. Achieve a college readiness score on the SAT (1070) or ACT (23); or,
4.  Be ranked in the top one-third of the prospective high school graduating class.

Non-freshman students can apply for the scholarship if they:

1. Maintain satisfactory academic progress as determined by the institution of in which the student is enrolled;
2. Continue to be a member of a ROTC program; and
3.  Have not earned a baccalaureate degree or a cumulative total of 150 credit hours, including transferred hours.

For more information or to receive an application, please contact our Capitol Office at (512) 463-0528 or email sharon.slover@house.texas.gov

To be considered, completed applications should be submitted by Friday, June 29th and include a transcript and a letter detailing your interests in the armed services and which institution of higher education you will be attending.

Hurricane Season is coming soon- prepare now

Don’t wait; buy flood insurance today

• New policies usually take 30 days to go into effect. Hurricane season is only about three weeks away.
• Homeowners and renters insurance typically do not cover damage from floods. Flood insurance is not just for homeowners: Renters can cover belongings up to $100,000.
• For more information on buying insurance for floods, the nation’s most common and costly natural disaster, visit https://go.usa.gov/xQNa9. Details for renters are available at https://go.usa.gov/xQNak.

Texans can avert financial disaster with flood insurance

• The average flood insurance policy costs about $700 annually, and the average claim pays $43,000.
• Floods can occur almost anywhere: 26 percent of all NFIP claims come from areas considered to be at low or moderate risk for floods. In lower-risk areas, residents may qualify for a Preferred Risk Policy, which provides the same level of coverage as a standard policy but at a lower cost.
• Learn more at https://go.usa.gov/xQNaR.

“Substantial damage” triggers flood mitigation requirements

• Whether a flooded structure sustained “substantial damage” may impact its repair or rebuilding. A substantially damaged structure is one in the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) whose repairs will cost at least half of its pre-flood market value, as determined by a local building or floodplain official.
• These structures are required to meet all regulations for building in a floodplain — often requiring elevation of the structure or relocation outside the SFHA.
• Most NFIP policies include Increased Cost of Compliance coverage, which provides up to $30,000 to comply with local floodplain policies, in addition to the regular insurance payout, up to the policy limit.
• Find information on substantially damaged structures at https://go.usa.gov/xQNay.

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