Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB3006 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R14925 CMO-D
2	2	By: Blanco S.B. No. 3006
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to the establishment of a public law school in El Paso
10	10	County.
11	11	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12	SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, is
13	13	amended by adding Section 61.0907 to read as follows:
14	14	Sec. 61.0907. EL PASO SCHOOL OF LAW. (a) The governing
15	15	board of a university system may establish and operate, as a
16	16	professional school of the system, a school of law in El Paso County
17	17	as the governing board considers appropriate.
18	18	(b) In administering the law school, the governing board may
19	19	prescribe courses leading to customary degrees offered at other
20	20	leading American schools of law and may award those degrees.
21	21	(c) The governing board may assign responsibility for the
22	22	management of the law school to a general academic teaching
23	23	institution in the university system.
24	24	(d) The governing board may accept and administer gifts and
25	25	grants from any public or private person or entity for the use and
26	26	benefit of the law school. Notwithstanding any other provision of
27	27	this section, establishment of a law school is subject to the
28	28	availability of funding, either through appropriation or from
29	29	another source.
30	30	(e) The governing board of a university system that intends
31	31	to establish a law school under this section shall notify the Texas
32	32	Higher Education Coordinating Board. If the coordinating board
33	33	receives notice from a governing board under this subsection, the
34	34	coordinating board shall provide a statement regarding that
35	35	intention on its Internet website and provide the other governing
36	36	boards with a reasonable opportunity to notify the coordinating
37	37	board of an intent to establish a law school under this section. If
38	38	the coordinating board receives notice from more than one governing
39	39	board under this subsection, the coordinating board, based on
40	40	community and student input, available system resources, the
41	41	feasibility of the specific proposal of each system, and other
42	42	appropriate criteria, shall determine which of those governing
43	43	boards may establish a law school under this section.
44	44	(f) Before a governing board establishes a law school under
45	45	this section, the governing board shall request the coordinating
46	46	board to prepare a feasibility study to determine the actions the
47	47	system must take to obtain accreditation of the law school. The
48	48	coordinating board shall deliver a copy of the study to the
49	49	governing board and to the chair of each legislative standing
50	50	committee with jurisdiction over higher education.
51	51	(g) Not more than one law school may be established under
52	52	this section.
53	53	SECTION 2. Subchapter B, Chapter 55, Education Code, is
54	54	amended by adding Section 55.178 to read as follows:
55	55	Sec. 55.178. UNIVERSITY SYSTEM ESTABLISHING EL PASO SCHOOL
56	56	OF LAW; ADDITIONAL BONDS. (a) In addition to the other authority
57	57	granted by this subchapter, the governing board of the university
58	58	system that establishes an El Paso school of law under Section
59	59	61.0907 may acquire, purchase, construct, improve, renovate,
60	60	enlarge, or equip property, buildings, structures, or other
61	61	facilities, including roads and related infrastructure, for the law
62	62	school for projects to be financed by the issuance of bonds in
63	63	accordance with this subchapter, including bonds issued in
64	64	accordance with a systemwide revenue financing program and secured
65	65	as provided by that program, in an aggregate principal amount not to
66	66	exceed $40 million.
67	67	(b) The governing board may pledge irrevocably to the
68	68	payment of the bonds authorized by this section all or any part of
69	69	the revenue funds of an institution, branch, or entity of the
70	70	university system described by Subsection (a), including student
71	71	tuition charges. The amount of a pledge made under this subsection
72	72	may not be reduced or abrogated while the bonds for which the pledge
73	73	is made, or bonds issued to refund those bonds, are outstanding.
74	74	(c) If sufficient funds are not available to the governing
75	75	board to meet its obligations under this section, the board may
76	76	transfer funds among institutions, branches, and entities of the
77	77	university system described by Subsection (a) to ensure the most
78	78	equitable and efficient allocation of available resources for each
79	79	institution, branch, or entity to carry out its duties and
80	80	purposes.
81	81	SECTION 3. (a) If this Act receives a vote of at least
82	82	two-thirds of the membership of each house of the legislature, and
83	83	if an El Paso school of law is created by The University of Texas
84	84	System or The Texas A&M University System under Section 61.0907,
85	85	Education Code, as added by this Act, the El Paso school of law is
86	86	entitled to participate in the funding provided by Section 18,
87	87	Article VII, Texas Constitution, for the appropriate university
88	88	system.
89	89	(b) If this Act receives a vote of at least two-thirds of the
90	90	membership of each house of the legislature, and if an El Paso
91	91	school of law is created under Section 61.0907, Education Code, as
92	92	added by this Act, by a university system other than a system
93	93	described by Subsection (a) of this section, the El Paso school of
94	94	law is entitled to participate in the funding provided by Section
95	95	17, Article VII, Texas Constitution. Before the first periodic
96	96	allocation of funding under Section 17, Article VII, is made that
97	97	includes the El Paso school of law, the legislature may reallocate
98	98	the total amount allocated to institutions under that section to
99	99	allow for the allocation to the law school.
100	100	SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
101	101	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
102	102	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
103	103	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
104	104	Act takes effect September 1, 2025.