| 1 | 1 | | H.B. No. 746 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | AN ACT |
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| 5 | 5 | | relating to expanding the availability of classrooms and other |
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| 6 | 6 | | facilities for use by public junior colleges. |
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| 7 | 7 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 8 | 8 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter Z, Chapter 51, Education Code, is |
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| 9 | 9 | | amended by adding Section 51.975 to read as follows: |
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| 10 | 10 | | Sec. 51.975. SHARING OF UNDERUSED CLASSROOMS. (a) A public |
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| 11 | 11 | | institution of higher education may make the institution's |
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| 12 | 12 | | classrooms not scheduled for use by the institution or by students, |
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| 13 | 13 | | student organizations, or faculty of the institution between 5 p.m. |
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| 14 | 14 | | and 10 p.m. on one or more weekdays or between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on |
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| 15 | 15 | | one or more Saturdays available for that day to another public |
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| 16 | 16 | | junior college on request for teaching courses in the core |
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| 17 | 17 | | curriculum, as defined by Section 61.821, or continuing education |
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| 18 | 18 | | courses. |
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| 19 | 19 | | (b) A public institution of higher education that under |
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| 20 | 20 | | Subsection (a) makes a classroom available to another institution |
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| 21 | 21 | | shall continue to make that classroom, or a comparable classroom, |
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| 22 | 22 | | available to the other institution for the duration of the semester |
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| 23 | 23 | | or other academic term. |
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| 24 | 24 | | (c) An institution of higher education may charge another |
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| 25 | 25 | | institution for the use of a classroom under this section at a rate |
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| 26 | 26 | | not to exceed the rate permitted for this purpose as determined by |
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| 27 | 27 | | the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. The coordinating |
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| 28 | 28 | | board shall establish those rates in an amount to reimburse the host |
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| 29 | 29 | | institution for utility costs and other costs, such as maintenance |
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| 30 | 30 | | and custodial services, based on the infrastructure formula funding |
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| 31 | 31 | | that the host institution would receive if teaching a course in that |
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| 32 | 32 | | space itself for that time. |
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| 33 | 33 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 34 | 34 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 35 | 35 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 36 | 36 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 37 | 37 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |
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| 38 | 38 | | ______________________________ ______________________________ |
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| 39 | 39 | | President of the Senate Speaker of the House |
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| 40 | 40 | | I certify that H.B. No. 746 was passed by the House on May 12, |
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| 41 | 41 | | 2009, by the following vote: Yeas 148, Nays 0, 1 present, not |
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| 42 | 42 | | voting; and that the House concurred in Senate amendments to H.B. |
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| 43 | 43 | | No. 746 on May 29, 2009, by the following vote: Yeas 143, Nays 0, 2 |
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| 44 | 44 | | present, not voting. |
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| 45 | 45 | | ______________________________ |
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| 46 | 46 | | Chief Clerk of the House |
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| 47 | 47 | | I certify that H.B. No. 746 was passed by the Senate, with |
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| 48 | 48 | | amendments, on May 27, 2009, by the following vote: Yeas 30, Nays |
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| 49 | 49 | | 1. |
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| 50 | 50 | | ______________________________ |
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| 51 | 51 | | Secretary of the Senate |
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| 52 | 52 | | APPROVED: __________________ |
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| 53 | 53 | | Date |
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| 54 | 54 | | __________________ |
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| 55 | 55 | | Governor |
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