Texas 2015 - 84th Regular

Texas House Bill HB1384 Compare Versions

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11 84R27347 JRJ-F
22 By: Davis of Harris, Laubenberg, Peña, Raney, H.B. No. 1384
33 Muñoz, Jr.
44 Substitute the following for H.B. No. 1384:
55 By: Zerwas C.S.H.B. No. 1384
66
77
88 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
99 AN ACT
1010 relating to authorization by the Texas Higher Education
1111 Coordinating Board for certain public junior colleges to offer
1212 baccalaureate degree programs.
1313 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1414 SECTION 1. Section 130.0012, Education Code, is amended by
1515 amending Subsections (a), (b), (d), (e), (g), and (h) and adding
1616 Subsections (g-1), (k), and (l) to read as follows:
1717 (a) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board may
1818 [shall] authorize public junior colleges to offer baccalaureate
1919 degree programs in the fields of applied science, [and] applied
2020 technology, and nursing under this section. Offering a
2121 baccalaureate degree program under this section does not otherwise
2222 alter the role and mission of a public junior college.
2323 (b) The coordinating board:
2424 (1) shall authorize baccalaureate degree programs at
2525 each public junior college that previously participated in a pilot
2626 project to offer baccalaureate degree programs; and
2727 (2) may authorize baccalaureate degree programs at one
2828 or more public junior colleges that offer a degree program in the
2929 field of nursing and have demonstrated a workforce need.
3030 (d) Baccalaureate degree programs offered [A public junior
3131 college offering a baccalaureate degree program] under this section
3232 [may not offer more than five baccalaureate degree programs at any
3333 time. The degree programs] are subject to the continuing approval
3434 of the coordinating board.
3535 (e) In determining what baccalaureate degree programs are
3636 to be offered, the coordinating board shall:
3737 (1) apply the same criteria and standards the
3838 coordinating board uses to approve baccalaureate degree programs at
3939 general academic teaching institutions; and
4040 (2) consider the following factors:
4141 (A) [(1)] the workforce need for the degree
4242 programs in the region served by the junior college;
4343 (B) [(2)] how those degree programs would
4444 complement the other programs and course offerings of the junior
4545 college and whether the associate degree program offered by the
4646 junior college in the same field has been successful;
4747 (C) [(3)] whether those degree programs would
4848 unnecessarily duplicate the degree programs offered by other
4949 institutions of higher education or whether a partnership with
5050 other institutions of higher education is possible; [and]
5151 (D) [(4)] the ability of the junior college to
5252 support the program with student enrollment and the adequacy of the
5353 junior college's facilities, faculty, administration, libraries,
5454 and other resources; and
5555 (E) whether the junior college meets the taxable
5656 property valuation amount established in Section 130.032.
5757 (g) Except as provided by Subsection (g-1), in [In] its
5858 recommendations to the legislature relating to state funding for
5959 public junior colleges, the coordinating board shall recommend that
6060 a public junior college receive substantially the same state
6161 support for junior-level and senior-level courses offered under
6262 this section as that provided to a general academic teaching
6363 institution for substantially similar courses. In determining the
6464 contact hours attributable to students enrolled in a junior-level
6565 or senior-level course offered under this section used to determine
6666 a public junior college's proportionate share of state
6767 appropriations under Section 130.003, the coordinating board shall
6868 weigh those contact hours as necessary to provide the junior
6969 college the appropriate level of state support to the extent state
7070 funds for those courses are included in the appropriations. This
7171 subsection does not prohibit the legislature from directly
7272 appropriating state funds to support junior-level and senior-level
7373 courses offered under this section.
7474 (g-1) For the first two years in which a degree program
7575 created under Subsection (b)(2) is offered, the degree program may
7676 be funded solely by a public junior college's proportionate share
7777 of state appropriations under Section 130.003, local funds, and
7878 private sources. This subsection does not require the legislature
7979 to appropriate state funds to support a degree program created
8080 under Subsection (b)(2) for the first two years in which the degree
8181 program is offered. For the third, fourth, and fifth years in which
8282 a degree program created under Subsection (b)(2) is offered, state
8383 appropriations under Section 130.003 for the degree program may not
8484 provide more than 50 percent of the total amount of funds required
8585 to support the degree program.
8686 (h) Each biennium, each [Each] public junior college
8787 offering a baccalaureate degree program under this section shall
8888 conduct a review of each baccalaureate degree program offered and
8989 prepare a [biennial] report on the operation, quality, and
9090 effectiveness of those [the junior college's baccalaureate] degree
9191 programs. A [and shall deliver a] copy of the report shall be
9292 delivered to the coordinating board in the form and at the time
9393 determined by the coordinating board.
9494 (k) The coordinating board shall adopt rules as necessary
9595 for the administration of this section.
9696 (l) In this section, "general academic teaching
9797 institution" and "institution of higher education" have the
9898 meanings assigned by Section 61.003.
9999 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
100100 a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
101101 provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
102102 Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
103103 Act takes effect September 1, 2015.