Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas House Bill HB199 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		87R1742 MM-D
2	2		By: Ortega, Moody, González of El Paso, H.B. No. 199
3		-	Fierro, Ordaz Perez~~, et al.~~
	3	+	Fierro, Ordaz Perez
4	4
5	5
6	6		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
7	7		AN ACT
8	8		relating to the establishment of a public law school in El Paso
9	9		County.
10	10		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	11		SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, is
12	12		amended by adding Section 61.0907 to read as follows:
13	13		Sec. 61.0907. EL PASO SCHOOL OF LAW. (a) The governing
14	14		board of a university system may establish and operate, as a
15	15		professional school of the system, a school of law in El Paso County
16	16		as the governing board considers appropriate.
17	17		(b) In administering the law school, the governing board may
18	18		prescribe courses leading to customary degrees offered at other
19	19		leading American schools of law and may award those degrees.
20	20		(c) The governing board may assign responsibility for the
21	21		management of the law school to a general academic teaching
22	22		institution in the university system.
23	23		(d) The governing board may accept and administer gifts and
24	24		grants from any public or private person or entity for the use and
25	25		benefit of the law school. Notwithstanding any other provision of
26	26		this section, establishment of a law school is subject to the
27	27		availability of funding, either through appropriation or from
28	28		another source.
29	29		(e) The governing board of a university system that intends
30	30		to establish a law school under this section shall notify the Texas
31	31		Higher Education Coordinating Board. If the coordinating board
32	32		receives notice from a governing board under this subsection, the
33	33		coordinating board shall provide a statement regarding that
34	34		intention on its Internet website and provide the other governing
35	35		boards with a reasonable opportunity to notify the coordinating
36	36		board of an intent to establish a law school under this section. If
37	37		the coordinating board receives notice from more than one governing
38	38		board under this subsection, the coordinating board, based on
39	39		community and student input, available system resources, the
40	40		feasibility of the specific proposal of each system, and other
41	41		appropriate criteria, shall determine which of those governing
42	42		boards may establish a law school under this section.
43	43		(f) Before a governing board establishes a law school under
44	44		this section, the governing board shall request the coordinating
45	45		board to prepare a feasibility study to determine the actions the
46	46		system must take to obtain accreditation of the law school. The
47	47		coordinating board shall deliver a copy of the study to the
48	48		governing board and to the chair of each legislative standing
49	49		committee with jurisdiction over higher education.
50	50		(g) Not more than one law school may be established under
51	51		this section.
52	52		SECTION 2. Subchapter B, Chapter 55, Education Code, is
53	53		amended by adding Section 55.178 to read as follows:
54	54		Sec. 55.178. UNIVERSITY SYSTEM ESTABLISHING EL PASO SCHOOL
55	55		OF LAW; ADDITIONAL BONDS. (a) In addition to the other authority
56	56		granted by this subchapter, the governing board of the university
57	57		system that establishes an El Paso school of law under Section
58	58		61.0907 may acquire, purchase, construct, improve, renovate,
59	59		enlarge, or equip property, buildings, structures, or other
60	60		facilities, including roads and related infrastructure, for the law
61	61		school for projects to be financed by the issuance of bonds in
62	62		accordance with this subchapter, including bonds issued in
63	63		accordance with a systemwide revenue financing program and secured
64	64		as provided by that program, in an aggregate principal amount not to
65	65		exceed $40 million.
66	66		(b) The governing board may pledge irrevocably to the
67	67		payment of the bonds authorized by this section all or any part of
68	68		the revenue funds of an institution, branch, or entity of the
69	69		university system described by Subsection (a), including student
70	70		tuition charges. The amount of a pledge made under this subsection
71	71		may not be reduced or abrogated while the bonds for which the pledge
72	72		is made, or bonds issued to refund those bonds, are outstanding.
73	73		(c) If sufficient funds are not available to the governing
74	74		board to meet its obligations under this section, the board may
75	75		transfer funds among institutions, branches, and entities of the
76	76		university system described by Subsection (a) to ensure the most
77	77		equitable and efficient allocation of available resources for each
78	78		institution, branch, or entity to carry out its duties and
79	79		purposes.
80	80		SECTION 3. (a) If this Act receives a vote of at least
81	81		two-thirds of the membership of each house of the legislature, and
82	82		if an El Paso school of law is created by The University of Texas
83	83		System or The Texas A&M University System under Section 61.0907,
84	84		Education Code, as added by this Act, the El Paso school of law is
85	85		entitled to participate in the funding provided by Section 18,
86	86		Article VII, Texas Constitution, for the appropriate university
87	87		system.
88	88		(b) If this Act receives a vote of at least two-thirds of the
89	89		membership of each house of the legislature, and if an El Paso
90	90		school of law is created under Section 61.0907, Education Code, as
91	91		added by this Act, by a university system other than a system
92	92		described by Subsection (a) of this section, the El Paso school of
93	93		law is entitled to participate in the funding provided by Section
94	94		17, Article VII, Texas Constitution. Before the first periodic
95	95		allocation of funding under Section 17, Article VII, is made that
96	96		includes the El Paso school of law, the legislature may reallocate
97	97		the total amount allocated to institutions under that section to
98	98		allow for the allocation to the law school.
99	99		SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
100	100		a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
101	101		provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
102	102		Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
103	103		Act takes effect September 1, 2021.