82R1992 KJM-D
By: Martinez H.B. No. 53
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the establishment of a public law school in the Rio
Grande Valley.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, is
amended by adding Section 61.0905 to read as follows:
Sec. 61.0905. RIO GRANDE VALLEY SCHOOL OF LAW. (a) The
governing board of a university system may establish and operate as
a professional school of the system a school of law in Cameron
County or Hidalgo County as the governing board considers
appropriate.
(b) In administering the law school, the governing board may
prescribe courses leading to customary degrees offered at other
leading American schools of law and may award those degrees.
(c) The governing board may assign responsibility for the
management of the law school to a general academic teaching
institution in the university system.
(d) The governing board of a university system that intends
to establish a law school under this section shall notify the
coordinating board. If the coordinating board receives
notification under this subsection from more than one governing
board, the coordinating board shall, based on the need for a law
school in a geographic area, potential student demand, available
system resources, the feasibility of the specific proposal of each
system, and other appropriate criteria, determine which of those
governing boards may establish a law school under this section.
(e) Before the governing board establishes a law school
under this section, the governing board shall request the
coordinating board to prepare a feasibility study to determine the
actions the system must take to obtain accreditation of the law
school. The coordinating board shall deliver a copy of the study to
the governing board and to the chair of each legislative standing
committee with jurisdiction over higher education.
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2011.