SUMMARY OF

HIGHER EDUCATION LEGISLATION

77th LEGISLATURE

TEXAS HIGHER EDUCATION COORDINATING BOARD

Office of Governmental Relations/Public Information

P.O. Box 12788  Austin, TX 78711-2788

(512) 427-6111

July 2001

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age or disability in employment or the provision of services.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

HIGHLIGHTS OF HIGHER EDUCATION LEGISLATION ...... 1

Legislation That Passed...... 1

Legislation That Failed to Pass...... 11

HIGHER EDUCATION FUNDING ...... 17

Major Increases for Each Sector of Higher Education...... 17

Selected Coordinating Board Riders...... 19

Contingency Riders...... 22

Higher Education Special Provision Riders...... 22

Other Agency / Institution Riders...... 23

Article IX Riders...... 24

ADMISSIONS...... 25

COMMUNITY / TECHNICAL COLLEGES...... 27

COORDINATING BOARD / AGENCY OPERATIONS...... 28

DEVELOPMENTAL EDUCATION (TASP) ...... 29

EDUCATOR PREPARATION, RECRUITMENT & RETENTION ...... 30

FACULTY ...... 32

FINANCIAL AID ...... 33

HEALTH-RELATED ...... 35

INSTITUTIONAL OPERATIONS...... 38

MISCELLANEOUS ...... 38

P-16 INITIATIVES...... 40

PLANNING...... 41

PROPRIETARY SCHOOLS ...... 42

RESEARCH...... 43

ROLE & MISSION / INSTITUTIONAL CHANGES...... 44

TECHNOLOGY / ENGINEERING...... 48

TRANSFER...... 49

TUITION AND FEES...... 50

TUITION AND FEES – WAIVERS & EXEMPTIONS...... 53

TUITION REVENUE BONDS...... 54

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HIGHLIGHTS OF

HIGHER EDUCATION LEGISLATION

77th Texas Legislature

LEGISLATION THAT PASSED

ADMISSIONS

  • HB 1387 – allows separate rankings to be used in determining which students qualify for automatic admission to Texas public institutions of higher education under the top 10 percent law for magnet school students and traditional high school students on the same high school campus
  • HB 1641 – outlines factors that may be used to make admissions or scholarship decisions at the state’s public graduate and professional schools; prohibits the use of standardized test results as the sole admission criteria

COMMUNITY / TECHNICAL COLLEGES

  • HB 1754 – authorizes a member of the governing board of a community college district to serve the remainder of the term to which the trustee was elected after the redistricting of a community college district
  • HB 2349 –reassigns the Marble Falls Independent School District from the Austin Community College service area to the Central Texas College service area
  • HB 2459 – requires the board of trustees of a community college district to re-divide the district into the appropriate number of districts with an equal number of inhabitants in each district
  • HB 3258 – transfers the territory within the Nixon-Smiley Consolidated Independent School District in Gonzales County from the Victoria College District Service Area to the Austin Community College District Service Area
  • SB 1014 – transfers Rockdale ISD from the Blinn College District service area to the Temple Junior College District service area

COORDINATING BOARD / AGENCY OPERATIONS

  • HB 249 – provides that a computer system vulnerability report is not subject to public disclosure and requires a state agency whose manager has prepared a vulnerability report to prepare a summary of the report that excludes information that might compromise security to be made available to the public on request
  • HB 1922 – requires each state agency that collects information about an individual to prominently state that the individual is entitled to receive and review the information collected; mandates each agency to establish a reasonable procedure for correcting

personal information without imposing a charge on the individual, unless the provision conflicts with the open record requirements

LEGISLATION THAT PASSED (CONTINUED)

  • HB 2589 – requires the Department of Information Resources to create a terms of service statement for state agency Internet sites and to establish and administer a clearinghouse for information relating to all aspects of protecting the security of state agency information
  • SB 187 – establishes the TexasOnline Authority to implement a project designated as TexasOnline that provides a common electronic system using the Internet for transactions between state or local government and members of the public
  • SB 799 – requires each state agency to conduct an exit interview with an employee who leaves employment with the agency by having the employee access the questionnaire posted on the state auditor's Internet site and electronically submit the completed questionnaire to the state auditor

DEVELOPMENTAL EDUCATION (TEXAS ACADEMIC SKILLS PROGRAM)

  • HB 234 – exempts active duty military personnel from TASP requirements
  • HB 1645 – exempts a transfer student from an accredited out-of-state institution of higher education who has met requirements of certain skill areas from the TASP test requirement
  • HB 2109 – exempts from the TASP a person who graduates from a public high school or accredited private high school in any state with a grade point average of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale or the equivalent and who has completed certain curriculum requirements, if that person enrolls in an institution of higher education on or before the second anniversary of the date the student graduated from high school

EDUCATOR PREPARATION, RECRUITMENT, & RETENTION

  • HB 704 – requires the TEA to establish the Careers to Classroom Program to assist individuals in obtaining certification as an elementary or secondary school teacher or educational aide, and to facilitate the employment of those persons in school districts in Texas that have a high number of educationally disadvantaged students and a shortage of certified teachers in critical shortage areas or fields and or a shortage of educational aides
  • HB 1130 – amends certain provisions of the Educational Aide Exemption Program to expand the number of teacher aides who are eligible to receive the exemption from tuition and fees, and requires school districts and universities to adopt plans designed to facilitate the use of the program and increase the number of certified teachers in Texas
  • HB 1721– authorizes the State Board for Educator Certification to issue a certificate to an educator from another state or country that has performed satisfactorily on an exam similar to and at least as rigorous as the ExCET
  • SB 998 – authorizes persons who have worked in an alternative education program or a juvenile justice education program for three years to take the ExCET without completing an alternative educator certification program

LEGISLATION THAT PASSED (CONTINUED)

  • SB 1057 – makes several changes to the administration of the TEXAS Grant Program, separates the Teach for Texas Grant Program from the TEXAS Grant Program,

establishes the Teach for Texas Grant Program for alternative certification students, and modifies the classroom teacher loan repayment assistance program

FACULTY

  • HB 1127 – provides standards governing the dates by which institutions of higher education must issue contracts or employment agreements to full-time faculty members
  • HB 2397 – requires the Coordinating Board to conduct a study and to produce a report on the disparity between the salary and benefits received by part-time and full-time faculty members at public institutions of higher education

FINANCIAL AID

  • HB 1187 – requires the Texas Workforce Commission to establish a new Parents as Scholars pilot program that allows program participants to fulfill the work or employment activities required for financial assistance by engaging in educational activities designed to result in receipt of a postsecondary degree
  • HB 1575 – authorizes the Coordinating Board to provide assistance in the repayment of education loans for dental hygienists who practice in underserved areas of Texas
  • HB 1755 – authorizes a licensing authority to suspend or deny the renewal of any state-issued license for a chiropractor, dentist, podiatrist, or medical doctor who has been found to be delinquent in the repayment of an educational loan or scholarship contract
  • HB 2323 – requires the Coordinating Board to provide assistance in the repayment of law school education loans for an attorney who provides legal services to the indigent and to provide repayment assistance for loans accrued by law graduates who work in a district or county attorney's office in a rural area
  • HB 2766 – authorizes the Coordinating Board to provide assistance in the repayment of education loans for attorneys who work for the Office of the Attorney General
  • SB 40 – requires the Coordinating Board to establish and administer a tuition assistance program for vocational nursing students attending any school or program in this state and who agree following licensure as a licensed vocational nurse to practice in a long-term care facility in the state
  • SB 149 – updates names and statutory references to clarify program requirements of the Tuition Equalization Program
  • SB 1596 – establishes the TEXAS Grant II Program to provide grants to eligible students to attend Texas public community and technical colleges and requires the Coordinating Board to administer the program

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LEGISLATION THAT PASSED (CONTINUED)

HEALTH-RELATED

  • HB 42 – authorizes the Coordinating Board, with the assistance of the board of regents of the Texas A&M University System, to conduct a feasibility study regarding an affiliation or coordinating agreement between the board of regents and any institution of higher education to provide the clinical education necessary to support a doctor of medicine degree program at the university
  • HB 1124 – establishes a community healthcare awareness and mentoring program to identify, encourage, and support potential health care professionals from rural and underserved urban areas
  • HB 2421 – requires the Center for Rural Health Initiatives to establish a program to encourage students from rural areas to study medicine and return to the rural community to practice
  • HB 2510 – requires the board of regents of the Texas Tech University System to establish the Texas Tech Diabetes Research Center for researching diabetes and factors associated with the disease
  • HB 2584 – creates the Commission on Geriatrics Study Requirement for Medical School to assess the feasibility or desirability of making the study of geriatrics a requisite for graduation from a medical school in this state
  • SB 31 – requires all college and university students be provided with information regarding the risks, symptoms, and vaccine for bacterial meningitis and the availability of a vaccine to students through the student health center
  • SB 126 – establishes the Rural Communities Health Care Investment Program to recruit health professionals other than physicians to practice in medically underserved communities by providing them with loan reimbursement or a stipend
  • SB 505 – authorizes a medical and dental unit to require students at the institution to obtain health insurance coverage upon enrollment
  • SB 572 – establishes the Nursing Shortage Reduction Program to provide incentives to increase enrollment in and faculty of professional nursing programs and requires the Coordinating Board to administer the program
  • SB 837 – requires the governing board of the Border Health Institute to develop a 10-year strategic plan and update the plan biennially
  • SB 940 – establishes the Joint Admission Medical Program to assist certain economically disadvantaged students in preparing for and succeeding in medical school

INSTITUTIONAL OPERATIONS

  • HB 1545 – amends provisions relating to the operation, regulation, and administration of public institutions of higher education

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LEGISLATION THAT PASSED (CONTINUED)

  • SB 826 – authorizes the board of trustees of a school district to operate a school or program or hold a class on the campus of an institution of higher education regardless of whether the institution of higher education is located within the boundaries of the school district
  • SB 1419 – eliminates the statute of limitations in certain civil proceedings involving the public institutions of higher education or Coordinating Board

MISCELLANEOUS

  • HB 82 – provides tax exemptions for the first $5,000 of total receipts raised by qualified student organizations
  • HB 2787 – prohibits certain public universities from issuing a vehicle permit to a student whose vehicle has not passed the vehicle emissions inspection
  • HB 3590 – establishes the Texas Fund for Geography Education under the Coordinating Board and creates a seven-member advisory committee to propose funding recommendations that would support geographic education programs
  • HB 3699 – specifies that an institution of higher education entitled to allocated funds under the equitable allocation formula is authorized to transfer the allocated funds to other eligible member institutions
  • SB 263 – requires the governing board of each institution of higher education to adopt a policy regulating travel that is undertaken by one or more students enrolled at the institution to reach an activity or event that is located more than 25 miles from the institution, is organized and sponsored by the institution, is funded by the institution, uses a vehicle owned or leased by the institution, or is required by a student organization registered at the institution
  • SB 555 – establishes a qualified higher education savings plan to be administered by the Prepaid Higher Education Tuition Board with investments in the plan managed by a private firm
  • SB 903 – requires the Coordinating Board to administer the women's athletic development fund to reduce the disparity between women's and men's athletics; requires the CB to conduct a best practices study of women’s athletic programs currently operated by public institutions of higher education in Texas and in other states
  • SB 1818 – grants the same powers and duties of eminent domain to the Texas A&M University System Board that are already granted to the governing boards of the University of Texas System and the Texas State University System

P-16 INITIATIVES

  • HB 400 – requires the Coordinating Board to implement the Higher Education Assistance Pilot Program to provide prospective students with assistance and information on admissions and enrollment at institutions of higher education; requires school districts and public institutions of higher education to work together to create a plan to increase enrollment rates at institutions of higher education

LEGISLATION THAT PASSED (CONTINUED)

  • HB 1144 – makes the Recommended High School Program the default curriculum for graduation at public high schools; directs the Commissioner of Higher Education and the Commissioner of Education to ensure student performance records are compatible; establishes new ratings for schools and districts; establishes the Master Math Teacher Program to reward expert instructors with annual bonuses
  • SB 82 – extends the option to take dual credit junior college courses to private high school students
  • SB 158 – requires school counselors to provide information to students and their parents regarding the importance of higher education and availability of financial assistance
  • SB 573 – requires the Coordinating Board to establish a statewide public awareness campaign to increase the number of students enrolled at higher education institutions in Texas

PLANNING

  • HB 1799 – requires the Coordinating Board to complete a periodic comprehensive statewide plan that provides information and guidance to policymakers to ensure the current and future needs for adequate higher education services are met in each region of this state

PROPRIETARY SCHOOLS

  • HB 1985 – makes revisions to the law governing the regulation of proprietary schools
  • SB 554 – authorizes the Texas Workforce Commission to establish and administer the Texas Career Opportunity Grant Program to provide tuition assistance to Texas students enrolled in a qualified education program at eligible proprietary schools, public technical institutes and certain postsecondary education programs
  • SB 1205 – clarifies that a short course of instruction of 24 classroom hours or less and for which the tuition or fee is less than $500 is exempt from regulation under the provisions for proprietary schools provided that the course meets certain conditions

RESEARCH

  • HB 1716 – establishes the San Antonio Life Science Institute to develop joint degree programs and joint research programs in the life sciences
  • HB 1839 – creates the Texas Excellence Fund and the University Research Fund to support and maintain educational and general activities, including research and student services, that promote increased research capacity and develop institutional excellence; requires the Comptroller’s office to administer and invest the fund
  • SB 1840 – requires the board of regents of The University of Texas System and the Coordinating Board to conduct a study evaluating the benefits of operating The University of Texas at San Antonio and The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio as a single research university

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LEGISLATION THAT PASSED (CONTINUED)

ROLE AND MISSION / INSTITUTIONAL CHANGES

  • HB 323 – creates a Center for Border Economic and Enterprise Development at The University of Texas at Brownsville
  • HB 753 – authorizes The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center to jointly prescribe courses and jointly conduct graduate programs at the master's and doctoral levels related to The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
  • HB 910 – formally establishes The Texas A&M University System Health Science Center South Texas Center for Rural Public Health to deliver health education outreach programs, deliver and provide community based instructional sites for the education of rural residents to public health professionals
  • HB 1640 – authorizes the creation of a professional school of pharmacy at Texas A&M University-Kingsville
  • HB 1685 – authorizes the governing boards of general academic teaching institutions or medical or dental schools to establish a partnership or affiliation with other entities to offer or conduct courses for academic credit or to offer degree programs
  • HB 1753 – authorizes The University of Texas-Pan American to establish an upper-division extension campus in Rio Grande City and enter into a partnership agreement with a junior college district for lower-division courses
  • HB 2054 – expands Texas Southern University's statutory purpose statement to reflect its similarities to other general academic institutions
  • HB 2344 – removes the enrollment cap on the number of lower-division students enrolled at The University of Texas at Brownsville preceding the 2005-2006 academic
  • HB 2840 – authorizes the establishment of a partnership agreement between Texas A&M University-Texarkana and the Texarkana College District and allows a student enrolled at Texarkana College to simultaneously enroll at Texas A&M University-Texarkana as long as the student meets the requirements for enrollment at the university
  • HB 3309 – creates the Southeast Texas Biotechnology Park in the Texas Medical Center-University Corridor in Houston
  • SB 576 – authorizes the University of North Texas at Dallas to operate as a general academic teaching institution with its own chief executive officer, administration, and faculty only after the Coordinating Board certifies that enrollment at the University of North Texas System Center at Dallas has reached an enrollment equivalent to 2,500 full-time students for one semester
  • SB 989 – amends the statutory provision regarding Prairie View A&M University's legally mandated purpose and role in Texas higher education
  • SB 1429 – establishes the Center for Relationship Violence Prevention and Intervention at Prairie View A&M University

LEGISLATION THAT PASSED (CONTINUED)