Texas 2015 - 84th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1714 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1		-	By: Zaffirini S.B. No. 1714
2		-	(Howard)
	1	+	S.B. No. 1714
3	2
4	3
5		-	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	4		AN ACT
7	5		relating to the release of student academic information by a public
8	6		institution of higher education for certain purposes and the manner
9	7		in which the information is used.
10	8		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	9		SECTION 1. Subchapter Z, Chapter 51, Education Code, is
12	10		amended by adding Section 51.9715 to read as follows:
13	11		Sec. 51.9715. RELEASE OF STUDENT ACADEMIC INFORMATION.
14	12		(a) An institution of higher education may request the submission
15	13		of a signed consent form authorizing the institution to release
16	14		academic course, grade, and credit information with each:
17	15		(1) application for undergraduate transfer admission
18	16		to the institution, if the institution is a general academic
19	17		teaching institution, to be used for the purposes of Section
20	18		61.833; or
21	19		(2) request from a student for a release of the
22	20		student's transcript by the institution.
23	21		(b) An institution of higher education may release student
24	22		information in accordance with Subsection (a) through:
25	23		(1) the National Student Clearinghouse; or
26	24		(2) a similar national electronic data sharing and
27	25		exchange platform operated by an agent of the institution that
28	26		meets nationally accepted standards, conventions, and practices.
29	27		SECTION 2. Section 61.833, Education Code, is amended by
30	28		amending Subsections (a), (b), (c), and (d) and adding Subsections
31	29		(c-1), (e), and (f) to read as follows:
32	30		(a) In this section,
33	31		(1) "lower-division institution of higher education"
34	32		means a public junior college, public state college, or public
35	33		technical institute; and
36	34		(2) "reverse transfer data sharing platform" means:
37	35		(A) the National Student Clearinghouse; or
38	36		(B) a similar national electronic data sharing
39	37		and exchange platform operated by an agent of the institution that
40	38		meets nationally accepted standards, conventions, and practices.
41	39		(b) Subsection (c) [This section] applies to a student
42	40		enrolled in a general academic teaching institution who:
43	41		(1) transferred to the institution from or previously
44	42		attended a lower-division institution of higher education;
45	43		(2) earned at least 30 credit hours for course work
46	44		successfully completed at the lower-division institution of higher
47	45		education; [and]
48	46		(3) has earned a cumulative total of at least 66 credit
49	47		hours for course work successfully completed; and
50	48		(4) has not submitted a signed consent form by the
51	49		method described in Section 51.9715(a).
52	50		(c) As soon as practicable after a student who is enrolled
53	51		in a general academic teaching institution has met the criteria
54	52		established by Subsection (b)(3), the institution by e-mail or
55	53		other reasonable method shall request authorization from the
56	54		student for the institution to release the student's academic
57	55		course, grade, and credit information [transcript] to each [the]
58	56		lower-division institution of higher education that the student
59	57		previously attended or to a reverse transfer data sharing platform
60	58		for the purpose of determining whether the student has earned the
61	59		credits required for an associate degree awarded by a [the]
62	60		lower-division institution of higher education. On receipt of a
63	61		student's authorization under this subsection, the general
64	62		academic teaching institution shall release the student's academic
65	63		course, grade, and credit information [transcript] to the
66	64		lower-division institution of higher education or to a reverse
67	65		transfer data sharing platform.
68	66		(c-1) After a student who has submitted a signed consent
69	67		form by the method described in Section 51.9715(a) completes a
70	68		semester or term at a general academic teaching institution, the
71	69		institution by the method described in Section 51.9715(b) shall
72	70		release the student's academic course, grade, and credit
73	71		information to a lower-division institution of higher education
74	72		that the student previously attended for the purpose of determining
75	73		whether the student has earned the credits required for an
76	74		associate degree awarded by the lower-division institution of
77	75		higher education.
78	76		(d) After receiving [a] student information [transcript]
79	77		from a general academic teaching institution under Subsection (c)
80	78		or Subsection (c-1), a lower-division institution of higher
81	79		education shall review the information [transcript] and, if the
82	80		lower-division institution of higher education determines the
83	81		student has earned the credits required to receive an associate
84	82		degree awarded by the lower-division institution of higher
85	83		education, may award the student the degree.
86	84		(e) Nothing in this section affects the ability of a
87	85		lower-division institution of higher education to determine the
88	86		course work required to earn an associate degree awarded by that
89	87		institution.
90	88		(f) Annually, each lower-division institution of higher
91	89		education shall produce a report recording the number of degrees
92	90		awarded by the institution in the previous academic year under this
93	91		section. An institution shall:
94	92		(1) make the report publicly available; and
95	93		(2) submit the information to a reverse transfer data
96	94		sharing platform.
97	95		SECTION 3. (a) The changes in law made by this Act apply
98	96		beginning with the 2015 fall semester.
99	97		(b) For the purpose of administering Section 61.833,
100	98		Education Code, as amended by this Act, in regard to a student who
101	99		transferred to a general academic teaching institution before the
102	100		institution could obtain a signed consent form from the student
103	101		under Section 51.9715(a)(1), Education Code, as added by this Act,
104	102		the institution shall request authorization from the student for
105	103		the institution's release of the student's academic information
106	104		under Section 61.833(c), Education Code, as amended by this Act, in
107	105		the manner prescribed by that subsection as it existed immediately
108	106		before the effective date of this Act.
109	107		SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
110	108		a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
111	109		provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
112	110		Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
113	111		Act takes effect September 1, 2015.
	112	+	______________________________ ______________________________
	113	+	President of the Senate Speaker of the House
	114	+	I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1714 passed the Senate on
	115	+	April 20, 2015, by the following vote: Yeas 30, Nays 0.
	116	+	______________________________
	117	+	Secretary of the Senate
	118	+	I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1714 passed the House on
	119	+	May 22, 2015, by the following vote: Yeas 140, Nays 0, two
	120	+	present not voting.
	121	+	______________________________
	122	+	Chief Clerk of the House
	123	+	Approved:
	124	+	______________________________
	125	+	Date
	126	+	______________________________
	127	+	Governor