Texas 2017 - 85th Regular

Texas House Bill HB841 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	By: Ortega H.B. No. 841
2	2
3	3
4	4	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
5	5	AN ACT
6	6	relating to the establishment of a public law school in El Paso
7	7	County.
8	8	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
9	9	SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, is
10	10	amended by adding Section 61.0907 to read as follows:
11	11	Sec. 61.0907. EL PASO SCHOOL OF LAW. (a) The governing
12	12	board of a university system may establish and operate, as a
13	13	professional school of the system, a school of law in El Paso County
14	14	as the governing board considers appropriate.
15	15	(b) In administering the law school, the governing board may
16	16	prescribe courses leading to customary degrees offered at other
17	17	leading American schools of law and may award those degrees.
18	18	(c) The governing board may assign responsibility for the
19	19	management of the law school to a general academic teaching
20	20	institution in the university system.
21	21	(d) The governing board may accept and administer gifts and
22	22	grants from any public or private person or entity for the use and
23	23	benefit of the law school. Notwithstanding any other provision of
24	24	this section, establishment of a law school is subject to the
25	25	availability of funding, either through appropriation or from
26	26	another source.
27	27	(e) The governing board of a university system that intends
28	28	to establish a law school under this section shall notify the Texas
29	29	Higher Education Coordinating Board. If the coordinating board
30	30	receives notice from a governing board under this subsection, the
31	31	coordinating board shall provide a statement regarding that
32	32	intention on its Internet website and provide the other governing
33	33	boards with a reasonable opportunity to notify the coordinating
34	34	board of an intent to establish a law school under this section. If
35	35	the coordinating board receives notice from more than one governing
36	36	board under this subsection, the coordinating board, based on
37	37	community and student input, available system resources, the
38	38	feasibility of the specific proposal of each system, and other
39	39	appropriate criteria, shall determine which of those governing
40	40	boards may establish a law school under this section.
41	41	(f) Before a governing board establishes a law school under
42	42	this section, the governing board shall request the coordinating
43	43	board to prepare a feasibility study to determine the actions the
44	44	system must take to obtain accreditation of the law school. The
45	45	coordinating board shall deliver a copy of the study to the
46	46	governing board and to the chair of each legislative standing
47	47	committee with jurisdiction over higher education.
48	48	(g) Not more than one law school may be established under
49	49	this section.
50	50	SECTION 2. Subchapter B, Chapter 55, Education Code, is
51	51	amended by adding Section 55.178 to read as follows:
52	52	Sec. 55.178. UNIVERSITY SYSTEM ESTABLISHING EL PASO SCHOOL
53	53	OF LAW; ADDITIONAL BONDS. (a) In addition to the other authority
54	54	granted by this subchapter, the governing board of the university
55	55	system that establishes an El Paso school of law under Section
56	56	61.0907 may acquire, purchase, construct, improve, renovate,
57	57	enlarge, or equip property, buildings, structures, or other
58	58	facilities, including roads and related infrastructure, for the law
59	59	school, to be financed by the issuance of bonds in accordance with
60	60	this subchapter, including bonds issued in accordance with a
61	61	systemwide revenue financing program and secured as provided by
62	62	that program, in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $40
63	63	million.
64	64	(b) The governing board may pledge irrevocably to the
65	65	payment of the bonds authorized by this section all or any part of
66	66	the revenue funds of an institution, branch, or entity of the
67	67	university system described by Subsection (a), including student
68	68	tuition charges.
69	69	The amount of a pledge made under this subsection
70	70	may not be reduced or abrogated while the bonds for which the pledge
71	71	is made, or bonds issued to refund those bonds, are outstanding.
72	72	(c) If sufficient funds are not available to the governing
73	73	board to meet its obligations under this section, the board may
74	74	transfer funds among institutions, branches, and entities of the
75	75	university system described by Subsection (a) to ensure the most
76	76	equitable and efficient allocation of available resources for each
77	77	institution, branch, or entity to carry out its duties and
78	78	purposes.
79	79	SECTION 3. (a) If this Act receives a vote of at least
80	80	two-thirds of the membership of each house of the legislature, and
81	81	if an El Paso school of law is created by The University of Texas
82	82	System or The Texas A&M University System under Section 61.0907,
83	83	Education Code, as added by this Act, the El Paso school of law is
84	84	entitled to participate in the funding provided by Section 18,
85	85	Article VII, Texas Constitution, for the appropriate university
86	86	system.
87	87	(b) If this Act receives a vote of at least two-thirds of the
88	88	membership of each house of the legislature, and if an El Paso
89	89	school of law is created under Section 61.0907, Education Code, as
90	90	added by this Act, by a university system other than a system
91	91	described by Subsection (a) of this section, the El Paso school of
92	92	law is entitled to participate in the funding provided by Section
93	93	17, Article VII, Texas Constitution. Before the first periodic
94	94	allocation of funding under Section 17, Article VII, is made that
95	95	includes the El Paso school of law, the legislature may reallocate
96	96	the total amount allocated to institutions under that section to
97	97	allow for the allocation to the law school.
98	98	SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
99	99	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
100	100	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
101	101	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
102	102	Act takes effect September 1, 2017.