Texas 2017 - 85th Regular

Texas House Bill HB3105 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	85R3196 KSD-F
2	2	By: Wu H.B. No. 3105
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to measures to facilitate the transfer, academic progress,
8	8	and timely graduation of students in public higher education.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. Subchapter Z, Chapter 51, Education Code, is
11	11	amended by adding Section 51.96852 to read as follows:
12	12	Sec. 51.96852. TRANSFER OF CREDIT FROM LOWER-DIVISION
13	13	INSTITUTIONS; ARTICULATION AGREEMENTS. (a) In this section:
14	14	(1) "Articulation agreement" means a formal written
15	15	agreement between a public junior college and a general academic
16	16	teaching institution identifying courses offered by the public
17	17	junior college that must be accepted for credit toward specific
18	18	course requirements at the general academic teaching institution.
19	19	(2) "Lower-division institution of higher education"
20	20	means a public junior college, public state college, or public
21	21	technical institute.
22	22	(3) "Public junior college" and "general academic
23	23	teaching institution" have the meanings assigned by Section 61.003.
24	24	(b) Each general academic teaching institution shall:
25	25	(1) publish on the institution's Internet website for
26	26	use by prospective undergraduate students a detailed description
27	27	developed by the institution's faculty of the learning objectives,
28	28	content, and prior knowledge requirements for at least 12 courses
29	29	offered by the institution for which credit is frequently
30	30	transferred to the institution from lower-division institutions of
31	31	higher education;
32	32	(2) identify the public junior colleges from which the
33	33	general academic teaching institution regularly receives transfer
34	34	students; and
35	35	(3) establish, for at least five degree plans for
36	36	which credit is frequently transferred to the institution from
37	37	lower-division institutions of higher education, articulation
38	38	agreements with each public junior college from which the general
39	39	academic teaching institution has received an average of at least
40	40	five percent of the institution's transfer students in the three
41	41	preceding academic years.
42	42	(c) A general academic teaching institution's participation
43	43	in an articulation agreement under this section does not affect the
44	44	institution's admissions policies.
45	45	(d) In consultation with general academic teaching
46	46	institutions and public junior colleges, the Texas Higher Education
47	47	Coordinating Board, using the negotiated rulemaking procedures
48	48	under Chapter 2008, Government Code, shall adopt any rules the
49	49	coordinating board considers necessary for the administration of
50	50	this section.
51	51	SECTION 2. Section 61.0515, Education Code, is amended by
52	52	amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (d) to read as
53	53	follows:
54	54	(a) To earn a baccalaureate degree, a student may not be
55	55	required by a general academic teaching institution to complete
56	56	more than the minimum number of semester credit hours required for
57	57	the degree by the institution's board-recognized accrediting
58	58	agency [Southern Association of Colleges and Schools or its
59	59	successor] unless the institution determines that there is a
60	60	compelling academic reason for requiring completion of additional
61	61	semester credit hours for the degree.
62	62	(d) The board shall adopt any rules the board considers
63	63	necessary for the administration of this section. In adopting
64	64	rules under this subsection, the board shall use the negotiated
65	65	rulemaking procedures under Chapter 2008, Government Code.
66	66	SECTION 3. Section 61.05151, Education Code, is amended by
67	67	amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (d) to read as
68	68	follows:
69	69	(a) To earn an associate degree, a student may not be
70	70	required by an institution of higher education to complete more
71	71	than the minimum number of semester credit hours required for the
72	72	degree by the institution's board-recognized accrediting agency
73	73	[Southern Association of Colleges and Schools or its successor]
74	74	unless the institution determines that there is a compelling
75	75	academic reason for requiring completion of additional semester
76	76	credit hours for the degree.
77	77	(d) The board shall adopt any rules the board considers
78	78	necessary for the administration of this section. In adopting
79	79	rules under this subsection, the board shall use the negotiated
80	80	rulemaking procedures under Chapter 2008, Government Code.
81	81	SECTION 4. Section 61.822, Education Code, is amended by
82	82	amending Subsection (a-1) and adding Subsection (f) to read as
83	83	follows:
84	84	(a-1) The board, with the assistance of advisory committees
85	85	composed of representatives of institutions of higher education,
86	86	shall develop a recommended core curriculum of at least 42 semester
87	87	credit hours, including a statement of the content, component
88	88	areas, and objectives of the core curriculum. Administrators of an
89	89	institution of higher education may serve as representatives of the
90	90	institution on any advisory committee under this section. At least
91	91	a majority of the members of any advisory committee named under this
92	92	section shall be faculty members of an institution of higher
93	93	education. An institution shall consult with the faculty of the
94	94	institution before nominating or recommending a person to the board
95	95	as the institution's representative on an advisory committee.
96	96	(f) In an effort to facilitate the transfer of major-related
97	97	coursework beyond the general education core curriculum, the board,
98	98	with the assistance of the advisory committees described by
99	99	Subsection (a-1), shall:
100	100	(1) develop a course-specific core curriculum for each
101	101	broad academic discipline within the general core curriculum; and
102	102	(2) identify those degree programs offered at
103	103	institutions of higher education to which the course-specific core
104	104	curriculum, if successfully completed by a student at another
105	105	institution of higher education, is fully transferable.
106	106	SECTION 5. Not later than May 31, 2019, each general
107	107	academic teaching institution shall publish on the institution's
108	108	Internet website the information required by Section 51.96852,
109	109	Education Code, as added by this Act, and establish articulation
110	110	agreements in accordance with that section.
111	111	SECTION 6. The changes in law made by this Act to Sections
112	112	61.0515(a) and 61.05151(a), Education Code, apply beginning with
113	113	undergraduate students who initially enroll in an institution of
114	114	higher education for the 2019 fall semester. An undergraduate
115	115	student who initially enrolls in an institution of higher education
116	116	before that semester is covered by the law in effect before the
117	117	effective date of this Act, and that law is continued in effect for
118	118	that purpose.
119	119	SECTION 7. Not later than May 31, 2019, the Texas Higher
120	120	Education Coordinating Board shall develop core curricula for broad
121	121	academic disciplines included within the general core curriculum
122	122	that conform to the requirements of Section 61.822, Education Code,
123	123	as amended by this Act.
124	124	SECTION 8. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
125	125	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
126	126	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
127	127	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
128	128	Act takes effect September 1, 2017.