Texas 2019 - 86th Regular

Texas House Bill HB4558 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	86R11090 SOS-F
2	2	By: Fierro H.B. No. 4558
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the curriculum requirements in government or political
8	8	science at institutions of higher education.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. Section 51.301, Education Code, is amended by
11	11	amending Subsections (a) and (b) and adding Subsection (f) to read
12	12	as follows:
13	13	(a) Every college and university receiving state support or
14	14	state aid from public funds shall offer six semester hours or its
15	15	equivalent of [give a] course [of] instruction in government or
16	16	political science, including three semester hours or its equivalent
17	17	of instruction that considers [which includes consideration of] the
18	18	Constitution of the United States and three semester hours or its
19	19	equivalent of instruction that considers the constitutions of the
20	20	states, with special emphasis on that of Texas. [This course shall
21	21	have a credit value of not less than six semester hours or its
22	22	equivalent.] Except as provided by Subsection (c), a college or
23	23	university receiving state support or state aid from public funds
24	24	may not grant a baccalaureate degree or an associate of arts degree
25	25	or associate of science degree [a lesser degree or academic
26	26	certificate] to any person unless the person has credit for the
27	27	instruction required by this subsection [such a course]. The
28	28	college or university may determine that a student has satisfied
29	29	this requirement in whole or in part on the basis of credit granted
30	30	to the student by the college or university for a substantially
31	31	equivalent course completed at another accredited college or
32	32	university or on the basis of the student's successful completion
33	33	of an advanced standing examination administered on the conditions
34	34	and under the circumstances common for the college or university's
35	35	advanced standing examinations. The college or university may
36	36	grant as much as three semester hours of credit or its equivalent
37	37	toward satisfaction of this requirement for substantially
38	38	equivalent work completed by the student in the program of an
39	39	approved senior R.O.T.C. unit. A student is entitled to apply
40	40	course credit not to exceed three semester hours or its equivalent
41	41	in Mexican American politics toward satisfaction of the course
42	42	requirement provided by this subsection.
43	43	(b) The requirement of Subsection (a) that the required
44	44	course instruction must include three semester hours or its
45	45	equivalent with a special emphasis on the Texas Constitution does
46	46	not apply to a degree granted on completion of an academic program
47	47	offered by a medical and dental unit, as that term is defined by
48	48	Section 61.003, to a student who is a member of the armed forces of
49	49	the United States, including the reserves or national guard, if:
50	50	(1) the program is operated by the medical and dental
51	51	unit under contract with the United States Army;
52	52	(2) the program requires less than two years of
53	53	residency in this state; and
54	54	(3) the principal participants in the program are
55	55	military personnel stationed outside this state.
56	56	(f) The course requirement provided by Subsection (a) does
57	57	not apply to:
58	58	(1) an associate of applied science degree; or
59	59	(2) an academic certificate.
60	60	SECTION 2. Section 51.301, Education Code, as amended by
61	61	this Act, applies to the curriculum requirements established for a
62	62	degree or certificate program without regard to whether the student
63	63	initially enrolled in the degree or certificate program before, on,
64	64	or after the effective date of this Act.
65	65	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019.