| 1 | 1 | | By: Eckhardt, et al. S.B. No. 64 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 5 | 5 | | AN ACT |
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| 6 | 6 | | relating to the period for which an applicant for admission as an |
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| 7 | 7 | | undergraduate student to a public institution of higher education |
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| 8 | 8 | | is entitled to an academic fresh start. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Section 51.931, Education Code, is amended by |
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| 11 | 11 | | adding Subsections (c-1) and (c-2) to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | (c-1) In considering an applicant for admission under this |
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| 13 | 13 | | section, a public institution of higher education may choose to |
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| 14 | 14 | | disregard academic course credits or grades earned by the applicant |
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| 15 | 15 | | more recently than 10 years before the starting date of the semester |
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| 16 | 16 | | in which the applicant seeks to enroll, except the institution may |
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| 17 | 17 | | not disregard any credits or grades earned during the five-year |
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| 18 | 18 | | period preceding that date. An institution that chooses to |
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| 19 | 19 | | disregard course credits or grades earned during the additional |
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| 20 | 20 | | period permitted by this subsection must disregard all course |
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| 21 | 21 | | credits or grades earned during that period and may not award any |
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| 22 | 22 | | credit for those courses. |
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| 23 | 23 | | (c-2) Each public institution of higher education shall |
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| 24 | 24 | | adopt, post on the institution's Internet website, and submit to |
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| 25 | 25 | | the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board a policy regarding |
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| 26 | 26 | | the admissions made by the institution under this section, |
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| 27 | 27 | | including the period for which an applicant's course credits or |
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| 28 | 28 | | grades will be considered by the institution under the policy. |
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| 29 | 29 | | SECTION 2. Section 61.0595(c), Education Code, is amended |
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| 30 | 30 | | to read as follows: |
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| 31 | 31 | | (c) For a student enrolled in a baccalaureate program under |
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| 32 | 32 | | Section 51.931, semester credit hours that were earned by the |
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| 33 | 33 | | student [10 or more years] before the date the student began |
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| 34 | 34 | | [begins] the new degree program under Section 51.931 and that were |
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| 35 | 35 | | disregarded under institution policy as described by that section |
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| 36 | 36 | | are not counted for purposes of determining whether the student has |
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| 37 | 37 | | previously earned the number of semester credit hours specified by |
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| 38 | 38 | | Subsection (a). |
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| 39 | 39 | | SECTION 3. Section 51.931, Education Code, as amended by |
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| 40 | 40 | | this Act, applies beginning with admissions to a public institution |
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| 41 | 41 | | of higher education for the 2023 fall semester. |
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| 42 | 42 | | SECTION 4. Section 61.0595(c), Education Code, as amended |
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| 43 | 43 | | by this Act, applies beginning with funding recommendations made |
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| 44 | 44 | | under Section 61.059, Education Code, for the state fiscal biennium |
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| 45 | 45 | | beginning September 1, 2025, for semester credit hours earned by |
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| 46 | 46 | | students enrolling in a baccalaureate degree program at a public |
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| 47 | 47 | | institution of higher education under Section 51.931, Education |
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| 48 | 48 | | Code, as amended by this Act, for the 2023 fall semester or a |
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| 49 | 49 | | subsequent semester or term. Funding recommendations for semester |
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| 50 | 50 | | credit hours earned by a student who enrolled in a baccalaureate |
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| 51 | 51 | | degree program at a public institution of higher education under |
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| 52 | 52 | | Section 51.931, Education Code, as amended by this Act, before the |
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| 53 | 53 | | 2023 fall semester are governed by the law in effect immediately |
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| 54 | 54 | | before the effective date of this Act, and the former law is |
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| 55 | 55 | | continued in effect for that purpose. |
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| 56 | 56 | | SECTION 5. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 57 | 57 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 58 | 58 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 59 | 59 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 60 | 60 | | Act takes effect on the 91st day after the last day of the |
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| 61 | 61 | | legislative session. |
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