| 1 | 1 | | 2023S0162-1 02/16/23 |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | By: Kolkhorst S.B. No. 2135 |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | relating to the course information required to be posted on a public |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | institution of higher education's Internet website; providing an |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | administrative penalty. |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Section 51.974, Education Code, is amended by |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | amending Subsections (a), (b), (f), and (g) and adding Subsections |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | (f-1) and (f-2) to read as follows: |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | (a) Each institution of higher education, other than a |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | medical and dental unit, as defined by Section 61.003, shall make |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | available to the public on the institution's Internet website the |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | following information for each [undergraduate] classroom course |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | offered for credit by the institution: |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | (1) a syllabus that: |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | (A) satisfies any standards adopted by the |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | institution; |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | (B) provides a brief description of each major |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | course requirement, including each major assignment and |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | examination; |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | (C) lists any required or recommended reading; |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | and |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | (D) provides a general description of the subject |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | matter of each lecture or discussion; |
|---|
| 29 | 29 | | (2) a curriculum vitae of each regular instructor that |
|---|
| 30 | 30 | | lists the instructor's: |
|---|
| 31 | 31 | | (A) postsecondary education; |
|---|
| 32 | 32 | | (B) teaching experience; and |
|---|
| 33 | 33 | | (C) significant professional publications; and |
|---|
| 34 | 34 | | (3) if available, a departmental budget report of the |
|---|
| 35 | 35 | | department under which the course is offered, from the most recent |
|---|
| 36 | 36 | | semester or other academic term during which the institution |
|---|
| 37 | 37 | | offered the course. |
|---|
| 38 | 38 | | (b) The information required by Subsection (a) must be: |
|---|
| 39 | 39 | | (1) accessible from the institution's Internet website |
|---|
| 40 | 40 | | home page [by use of not more than three links]; |
|---|
| 41 | 41 | | (2) clearly labeled as "public course and syllabus |
|---|
| 42 | 42 | | information"; |
|---|
| 43 | 43 | | (3) searchable by keywords and phrases; and |
|---|
| 44 | 44 | | (4) [(3)] accessible to the public without requiring |
|---|
| 45 | 45 | | registration or use of a user name, a password, or another user |
|---|
| 46 | 46 | | identification. |
|---|
| 47 | 47 | | (f) Not later than January 1 of each odd-numbered year, each |
|---|
| 48 | 48 | | institution of higher education shall submit a written report |
|---|
| 49 | 49 | | regarding the institution's compliance with this section to the |
|---|
| 50 | 50 | | governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of |
|---|
| 51 | 51 | | representatives, [and] the presiding officer of each legislative |
|---|
| 52 | 52 | | standing committee with primary jurisdiction over higher |
|---|
| 53 | 53 | | education, and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. |
|---|
| 54 | 54 | | (f-1) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall |
|---|
| 55 | 55 | | monitor each institution of higher education to determine whether |
|---|
| 56 | 56 | | the institution is in substantial compliance with this section and |
|---|
| 57 | 57 | | make available to the public on the coordinating board's Internet |
|---|
| 58 | 58 | | website: |
|---|
| 59 | 59 | | (1) a list indicating whether each institution of |
|---|
| 60 | 60 | | higher education is in substantial compliance with this section; |
|---|
| 61 | 61 | | and |
|---|
| 62 | 62 | | (2) a copy of each report submitted to the |
|---|
| 63 | 63 | | coordinating board under Subsection (f). |
|---|
| 64 | 64 | | (f-2) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall |
|---|
| 65 | 65 | | assess an administrative penalty of $5,000 against an institution |
|---|
| 66 | 66 | | of higher education that violates Subsections (a) or (b). Each day |
|---|
| 67 | 67 | | the violation continues or occurs is a separate violation for |
|---|
| 68 | 68 | | purposes of assessing a penalty. |
|---|
| 69 | 69 | | (g) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board may adopt |
|---|
| 70 | 70 | | rules necessary to administer this section, including rules to: |
|---|
| 71 | 71 | | (1) ensure substantial compliance with this section; |
|---|
| 72 | 72 | | and |
|---|
| 73 | 73 | | (2) assess administrative penalties under Subsection |
|---|
| 74 | 74 | | (f-2). |
|---|
| 75 | 75 | | SECTION 2. Section 51.974, Education Code, as amended by |
|---|
| 76 | 76 | | this Act, applies beginning with the 2024 spring semester. |
|---|
| 77 | 77 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
|---|