HBA-MPM C.S.H.B. 1266 76(R)BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.H.B. 1266
By: McClendon
Higher Education
4/25/1999
Committee Report (Substituted)


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

C.S.H.B. 1266 allows a student who has received a degree or certificate
from a public junior college or public technical institute, respectively,
to transfer to a four-year Texas state university if the student completed
the previous program with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0.
on a four-point scale.  Additionally, this bill allows an institution, upon
review of an applicant's record, to determine if the applicant would
benefit from additional preparatory coursework or from inclusion in a
retention program, and to require a student to attend enrichment courses
and orientation programs, if necessary. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that rulemaking
authority is expressly delegated to the Texas Higher Education Board and
each general of the state's academic teaching institutions in SECTION 3 of
this bill. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Section 51.801, Education Code, to include "public
junior college" and "public technical institute" among a list of terms
which have the meanings assigned to them by Section 61.003 (Definitions).
This section defines "public junior college" as any junior college
certified by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in accordance
with Section 61.063 (Listing and Certification of Junior Colleges),
Education Code, and "public technical institute" as the Texas State
Technical College System. 

SECTION 2.  Amends Subchapter S, Chapter 51, Education Code, by adding
Section 51.8065, as follows: 

Sec. 51.8065.  AUTOMATIC ADMISSION: UNDERGRADUATE TRANSFER STUDENTS.  (a)
Requires each general academic teaching institution to admit an applicant
as an undergraduate student if, in the year preceding the academic year for
which the applicant is applying, the applicant received a degree from a
public junior college or public technical institute; and if the applicant
completed the program with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0
on a four-point scale or equivalent. 

(b)  Requires an applicant to submit an application before the expiration
of any application filing deadline established by the institution in order
to qualify for admission. 

(c) Authorizes an institution, after admitting an applicant who has earned
an associate of applied science degree, to review the applicant's record or
any other factor considered appropriate by the institution to determine if
the applicant may require additional preparation for college-level work, or
if the applicant would benefit from inclusion in a retention program.
Authorizes the institution to require a student so identified to enroll
during the summer immediately after admission to the institution to
participate in the appropriate enrichment courses and orientation programs.
Provides that a student who is not determined to need additional
preparation is not prohibited from enrolling during the summer after the
student is admitted, if the student so wishes. 

SECTION 3.  Makes this Act applicable beginning with admissions for the
2000 fall semester.  Requires the Texas Higher Education Board and each
general academic teaching institution to adopt rules or policies relating
to admissions of students under this section no later than January 1, 2000. 

SECTION 4.  Emergency clause.
  Effective date: 90 days after adjournment.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE

The substitute modifies the original in SECTION 2 by deleting a requirement
in Proposed Section(a)(1) that certain transfer students have previously
received a degree through a program requiring at least 30 semester credit
hours, deleting the provision relating to an applicant receiving a
certificate from a junior college, and by adding language to proposed
Subsection (c) to provide that that subsection refers to an admitted
applicant who has earned an associate of applied science degree.