83R9490 JRJ-D By: Bonnen of Brazoria H.B. No. 1974 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT relating to certain duties of public junior colleges and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in relation to baccalaureate degree programs offered by public junior colleges. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Section 130.0012(f), Education Code, is amended to read as follows: (f) Each public junior college that offers a baccalaureate degree program under this section must enter into an articulation agreement for the first five years of the program with one or more general academic teaching institutions to ensure that students enrolled in the degree program have an opportunity to complete the degree if the public junior college ceases to offer the degree program. The coordinating board may require a general academic teaching institution that offers a comparable degree program to enter into an articulation agreement with the public junior college as provided by this subsection. 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, 2013.