| 1 | 1 | | 85R3548 JRJ-F |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | By: Watson S.B. No. 644 |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | relating to authorization by the Texas Higher Education |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | Coordinating Board for certain public junior colleges to offer |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | baccalaureate degree programs. |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Section 130.0012, Education Code, is amended by |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | amending Subsections (a), (b), (e), (g), and (h) and adding |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | Subsection (g-1) to read as follows: |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | (a) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board may |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | [shall] authorize public junior colleges to offer baccalaureate |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | degree programs in the fields of applied science, [and] applied |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | technology, early childhood education, and nursing under this |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | section. Offering a baccalaureate degree program under this |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | section does not otherwise alter the role and mission of a public |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | junior college. |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | (b) The coordinating board: |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | (1) shall authorize baccalaureate degree programs in |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | the fields of applied science and applied technology at each public |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | junior college that previously participated in a pilot project to |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | offer baccalaureate degree programs; and |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | (2) may authorize baccalaureate degree programs at one |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | or more public junior colleges that offer a degree program in the |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | fields of applied science, applied technology, early childhood |
|---|
| 29 | 29 | | education, or nursing and have demonstrated a workforce need. |
|---|
| 30 | 30 | | (e) In determining what baccalaureate degree programs are |
|---|
| 31 | 31 | | to be offered, the coordinating board shall: |
|---|
| 32 | 32 | | (1) apply the same criteria and standards the |
|---|
| 33 | 33 | | coordinating board uses to approve baccalaureate degree programs at |
|---|
| 34 | 34 | | general academic teaching institutions; and |
|---|
| 35 | 35 | | (2) consider the following factors: |
|---|
| 36 | 36 | | (A) [(1)] the workforce need for the degree |
|---|
| 37 | 37 | | programs in the region served by the junior college; |
|---|
| 38 | 38 | | (B) [(2)] how those degree programs would |
|---|
| 39 | 39 | | complement the other programs and course offerings of the junior |
|---|
| 40 | 40 | | college and whether the associate degree program offered by the |
|---|
| 41 | 41 | | junior college in the same field has been successful; |
|---|
| 42 | 42 | | (C) [(3)] whether those degree programs would |
|---|
| 43 | 43 | | unnecessarily duplicate the degree programs offered by other |
|---|
| 44 | 44 | | institutions of higher education; [and] |
|---|
| 45 | 45 | | (D) [(4)] the ability of the junior college to |
|---|
| 46 | 46 | | support the program with student enrollment and the adequacy of the |
|---|
| 47 | 47 | | junior college's facilities, faculty, administration, libraries, |
|---|
| 48 | 48 | | and other resources; and |
|---|
| 49 | 49 | | (E) whether the junior college meets the taxable |
|---|
| 50 | 50 | | property valuation amount established in Section 130.032. |
|---|
| 51 | 51 | | (g) Except as provided by Subsection (g-1), a degree program |
|---|
| 52 | 52 | | created under this section may be funded solely by a public junior |
|---|
| 53 | 53 | | college's proportionate share of state appropriations under |
|---|
| 54 | 54 | | Section 130.003, local funds, and private sources. This subsection |
|---|
| 55 | 55 | | does not require the legislature to appropriate state funds to |
|---|
| 56 | 56 | | support a degree program created under this section. |
|---|
| 57 | 57 | | (g-1) Notwithstanding Subsection (g), in [In] its |
|---|
| 58 | 58 | | recommendations to the legislature relating to state funding for |
|---|
| 59 | 59 | | public junior colleges, the coordinating board shall recommend that |
|---|
| 60 | 60 | | a public junior college that previously participated in a pilot |
|---|
| 61 | 61 | | project to offer baccalaureate degree programs receive |
|---|
| 62 | 62 | | substantially the same state support for junior-level and |
|---|
| 63 | 63 | | senior-level courses in the fields of applied science and applied |
|---|
| 64 | 64 | | technology offered under this section as that provided to a general |
|---|
| 65 | 65 | | academic teaching institution for substantially similar courses. |
|---|
| 66 | 66 | | For purposes of this subsection, in [In] determining the contact |
|---|
| 67 | 67 | | hours attributable to students enrolled in a junior-level or |
|---|
| 68 | 68 | | senior-level course in the field of applied science or applied |
|---|
| 69 | 69 | | technology offered under this section used to determine a public |
|---|
| 70 | 70 | | junior college's proportionate share of state appropriations under |
|---|
| 71 | 71 | | Section 130.003, the coordinating board shall weigh those contact |
|---|
| 72 | 72 | | hours as necessary to provide the junior college the appropriate |
|---|
| 73 | 73 | | level of state support to the extent state funds for those courses |
|---|
| 74 | 74 | | are included in the appropriations. This subsection does not |
|---|
| 75 | 75 | | prohibit the legislature from directly appropriating state funds to |
|---|
| 76 | 76 | | support junior-level and senior-level courses to which this |
|---|
| 77 | 77 | | subsection applies [offered under this section]. |
|---|
| 78 | 78 | | (h) Each biennium, each [Each] public junior college |
|---|
| 79 | 79 | | offering a baccalaureate degree program under this section shall |
|---|
| 80 | 80 | | conduct a review of each baccalaureate degree program offered and |
|---|
| 81 | 81 | | prepare a [biennial] report on the operation, quality, and |
|---|
| 82 | 82 | | effectiveness of those [the junior college's baccalaureate] degree |
|---|
| 83 | 83 | | programs. A [and shall deliver a] copy of the report shall be |
|---|
| 84 | 84 | | delivered to the coordinating board in the form and at the time |
|---|
| 85 | 85 | | determined by the coordinating board. |
|---|
| 86 | 86 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
|---|
| 87 | 87 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
|---|
| 88 | 88 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
|---|
| 89 | 89 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
|---|
| 90 | 90 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |
|---|