| 1 | 1 | | 86R12581 SOS-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Bettencourt S.B. No. 1477 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to eliminating the requirement that certain top high |
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| 8 | 8 | | school graduates be granted automatic admission to certain |
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| 9 | 9 | | universities and eliminating the scholarship program for those |
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| 10 | 10 | | graduates to attend certain institutions. |
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| 11 | 11 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 12 | 12 | | SECTION 1. The heading to Section 51.803, Education Code, |
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| 13 | 13 | | is amended to read as follows: |
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| 14 | 14 | | Sec. 51.803. AUTOMATIC ADMISSION: TOP HIGH SCHOOL |
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| 15 | 15 | | GRADUATES; CHILDREN OF FALLEN PUBLIC SAFETY PERSONNEL [ALL |
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| 16 | 16 | | INSTITUTIONS]. |
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| 17 | 17 | | SECTION 2. Section 51.803, Education Code, is amended by |
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| 18 | 18 | | amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (a-3) to read as |
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| 19 | 19 | | follows: |
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| 20 | 20 | | (a) Each [Subject to Subsection (a-1), each] general |
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| 21 | 21 | | academic teaching institution shall admit an applicant for |
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| 22 | 22 | | admission to the institution as an undergraduate student if the |
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| 23 | 23 | | applicant graduated with a grade point average in the top 10 percent |
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| 24 | 24 | | of the student's high school graduating class in one of the two |
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| 25 | 25 | | school years preceding the academic year for which the applicant is |
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| 26 | 26 | | applying for admission and: |
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| 27 | 27 | | (1) the applicant graduated from a public or private |
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| 28 | 28 | | high school in this state accredited by a generally recognized |
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| 29 | 29 | | accrediting organization or from a high school operated by the |
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| 30 | 30 | | United States Department of Defense; |
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| 31 | 31 | | (2) the applicant: |
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| 32 | 32 | | (A) successfully completed: |
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| 33 | 33 | | (i) at a public high school, the curriculum |
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| 34 | 34 | | requirements established under Section 28.025 for the |
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| 35 | 35 | | distinguished level of achievement under the foundation high school |
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| 36 | 36 | | program; or |
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| 37 | 37 | | (ii) at a high school to which Section |
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| 38 | 38 | | 28.025 does not apply, a curriculum that is equivalent in content |
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| 39 | 39 | | and rigor to the distinguished level of achievement under the |
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| 40 | 40 | | foundation high school program; or |
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| 41 | 41 | | (B) satisfied ACT's College Readiness Benchmarks |
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| 42 | 42 | | on the ACT assessment applicable to the applicant or earned on the |
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| 43 | 43 | | SAT assessment a score of at least 1,500 out of 2,400 or the |
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| 44 | 44 | | equivalent; and |
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| 45 | 45 | | (3) if the applicant graduated from a high school |
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| 46 | 46 | | operated by the United States Department of Defense, the applicant |
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| 47 | 47 | | is a Texas resident under Section 54.052 or is entitled to pay |
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| 48 | 48 | | tuition fees at the rate provided for Texas residents under Section |
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| 49 | 49 | | 54.241(d) for the term or semester to which admitted. |
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| 50 | 50 | | (a-3) Subsection (a) does not apply to: |
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| 51 | 51 | | (1) The University of Texas at Austin; or |
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| 52 | 52 | | (2) Texas A&M University. |
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| 53 | 53 | | SECTION 3. The following provisions of the Education Code |
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| 54 | 54 | | are repealed: |
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| 55 | 55 | | (1) Sections 51.803(a-1), (a-2), (a-4), (a-5), (a-6), |
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| 56 | 56 | | (j), (k), and (l); and |
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| 57 | 57 | | (2) Subchapter R, Chapter 56. |
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| 58 | 58 | | SECTION 4. Section 51.803, Education Code, as amended by |
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| 59 | 59 | | this Act, applies beginning with admissions to an institution of |
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| 60 | 60 | | higher education for the 2020-2021 academic year. Admissions to an |
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| 61 | 61 | | institution of higher education for an academic year before that |
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| 62 | 62 | | academic year are governed by the law in effect immediately before |
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| 63 | 63 | | the effective date of this Act, and the former law is continued in |
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| 64 | 64 | | effect for that purpose. |
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| 65 | 65 | | SECTION 5. The repeal by this Act of Subchapter R, Chapter |
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| 66 | 66 | | 56, Education Code, does not affect a student initially awarded a |
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| 67 | 67 | | scholarship under that subchapter for a semester or other academic |
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| 68 | 68 | | term before the effective date of this Act. A student who initially |
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| 69 | 69 | | receives a scholarship for a semester or other academic term before |
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| 70 | 70 | | that date may continue to receive a scholarship under Subchapter R, |
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| 71 | 71 | | Chapter 56, Education Code, as that subchapter existed immediately |
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| 72 | 72 | | before the effective date of this Act, to the extent funds are |
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| 73 | 73 | | available for that purpose, as long as the student remains eligible |
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| 74 | 74 | | for a scholarship under the former law. The Texas Higher Education |
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| 75 | 75 | | Coordinating Board shall adopt rules to administer this section and |
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| 76 | 76 | | shall notify each student who receives a scholarship in the |
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| 77 | 77 | | 2019-2020 academic year of the provisions of this section. |
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| 78 | 78 | | SECTION 6. This Act takes effect January 1, 2020. |
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