Recruiting and retaining police officers is getting to be more competitive. Departments are doing everything they can to bring in officers. Now, the State of Texas now offers a student loan repayment program as incentive for joining the force. Legislators are now working out how that program will be implemented.
Texas is aiming to incentivize new peace officers to join departments around the state by implementing a student loan assistance repayment program.
Officers who join Texas departments after Sept. 1, 2019, become full-time employees, stay employed for at least one year, and have earned at least 60 semester credit hours at a higher education institution before the person’s initial employment as a peace officer, are eligible to apply for student loan repayment assistance through a new state program.
State lawmakers discussed the legislation, Senate Bill 16, at a meeting of the Texas House Higher Education committee on Tuesday.
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