| 1 | 1 | | 87R5553 JRJ-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Birdwell S.B. No. 740 |
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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 the requirements for a junior college district to |
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| 8 | 8 | | receive approval from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board |
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| 9 | 9 | | to offer baccalaureate degree programs. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Section 130.307, Education Code, is amended by |
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| 12 | 12 | | amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (b-1) to read as |
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| 13 | 13 | | follows: |
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| 14 | 14 | | (b) Except as provided by Subsection (b-1), a [A] public |
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| 15 | 15 | | junior college may offer a baccalaureate degree program under this |
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| 16 | 16 | | subchapter only if its junior college district: |
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| 17 | 17 | | (1) had a taxable property valuation amount of not |
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| 18 | 18 | | less than $6 billion in the preceding year; and |
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| 19 | 19 | | (2) received a positive assessment of the overall |
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| 20 | 20 | | financial health of the district as reported by the coordinating |
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| 21 | 21 | | board. |
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| 22 | 22 | | (b-1) The requirement of Subsection (b)(1) does not apply to |
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| 23 | 23 | | a public junior college pursuing the establishment of a |
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| 24 | 24 | | baccalaureate degree program that will result in a medical |
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| 25 | 25 | | certification if its junior college district: |
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| 26 | 26 | | (1) has a taxable property valuation amount of not |
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| 27 | 27 | | less than $4 billion in the preceding year; and |
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| 28 | 28 | | (2) does not have a four-year institution of higher |
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| 29 | 29 | | education located in a county in which the district is located. |
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| 30 | 30 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 31 | 31 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 32 | 32 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 33 | 33 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 34 | 34 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
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