Amends TCA Title 49, Chapter 4.

Present law established various conditions of eligibility for a veteran to receive a lottery-funded Helping Heroes grant, one of which is having been awarded one of the following:<br /> <br /> (1) The Iraq campaign medal;<br /> <br /> (2) The Afghanistan campaign medal; or<br /> <br /> (3) On or after September 11, 2001, the global war on terrorism expeditionary medal.<br /> <br /> This bill adds any service expeditionary medal identified in rules and regulations<br /> <br /> promulgated by TSAC to the list of qualifying awards for purposes of the Helping Heroes grants.<br /> <br /> This bill removes the following provisions of present law concerning the Helping Heroes Act of 2008:<br /> <br /> (1) The provision that limits grant eligibility to semesters that commence prior to the eighth anniversary of the veteran's honorable discharge from military service; and<br /> <br /> (2) The requirement that TSAC award the grants each year on a first come, first served basis and the annual $750,000 cap on the total amount of all Helping Heroes grant awards.<br />