Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB603 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	87R1742 MM-D
2	2	By: Blanco S.B. No. 603
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the establishment of a public law school in El Paso
8	8	County.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, is
11	11	amended by adding Section 61.0907 to read as follows:
12	12	Sec. 61.0907. EL PASO SCHOOL OF LAW. (a) The governing
13	13	board of a university system may establish and operate, as a
14	14	professional school of the system, a school of law in El Paso County
15	15	as the governing board considers appropriate.
16	16	(b) In administering the law school, the governing board may
17	17	prescribe courses leading to customary degrees offered at other
18	18	leading American schools of law and may award those degrees.
19	19	(c) The governing board may assign responsibility for the
20	20	management of the law school to a general academic teaching
21	21	institution in the university system.
22	22	(d) The governing board may accept and administer gifts and
23	23	grants from any public or private person or entity for the use and
24	24	benefit of the law school. Notwithstanding any other provision of
25	25	this section, establishment of a law school is subject to the
26	26	availability of funding, either through appropriation or from
27	27	another source.
28	28	(e) The governing board of a university system that intends
29	29	to establish a law school under this section shall notify the Texas
30	30	Higher Education Coordinating Board. If the coordinating board
31	31	receives notice from a governing board under this subsection, the
32	32	coordinating board shall provide a statement regarding that
33	33	intention on its Internet website and provide the other governing
34	34	boards with a reasonable opportunity to notify the coordinating
35	35	board of an intent to establish a law school under this section. If
36	36	the coordinating board receives notice from more than one governing
37	37	board under this subsection, the coordinating board, based on
38	38	community and student input, available system resources, the
39	39	feasibility of the specific proposal of each system, and other
40	40	appropriate criteria, shall determine which of those governing
41	41	boards may establish a law school under this section.
42	42	(f) Before a governing board establishes a law school under
43	43	this section, the governing board shall request the coordinating
44	44	board to prepare a feasibility study to determine the actions the
45	45	system must take to obtain accreditation of the law school. The
46	46	coordinating board shall deliver a copy of the study to the
47	47	governing board and to the chair of each legislative standing
48	48	committee with jurisdiction over higher education.
49	49	(g) Not more than one law school may be established under
50	50	this section.
51	51	SECTION 2. Subchapter B, Chapter 55, Education Code, is
52	52	amended by adding Section 55.178 to read as follows:
53	53	Sec. 55.178. UNIVERSITY SYSTEM ESTABLISHING EL PASO SCHOOL
54	54	OF LAW; ADDITIONAL BONDS. (a) In addition to the other authority
55	55	granted by this subchapter, the governing board of the university
56	56	system that establishes an El Paso school of law under Section
57	57	61.0907 may acquire, purchase, construct, improve, renovate,
58	58	enlarge, or equip property, buildings, structures, or other
59	59	facilities, including roads and related infrastructure, for the law
60	60	school for projects to be financed by the issuance of bonds in
61	61	accordance with this subchapter, including bonds issued in
62	62	accordance with a systemwide revenue financing program and secured
63	63	as provided by that program, in an aggregate principal amount not to
64	64	exceed $40 million.
65	65	(b) The governing board may pledge irrevocably to the
66	66	payment of the bonds authorized by this section all or any part of
67	67	the revenue funds of an institution, branch, or entity of the
68	68	university system described by Subsection (a), including student
69	69	tuition charges. 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, 2021.