HBA-MPM, C.S.H.B. 1297 76(R)BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.H.B. 1297
By: Lewis, Ron
Higher Education
3/15/1999
Committee Report (Substituted)



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Lamar University at Port Arthur and Lamar University at Orange initially
received accreditation as separate institutions in 1988 and were
reaccredited in 1993.  The current Southern Association of Colleges and
Schools (SACS) accreditation team for Lamar University at Beaumont  has
tied the changing of the names of these institutions to the reaccreditation
of the Beaumont institutions because these institutions are not four-year
schools.  C.S.H.B. 1297 changes the names of Lamar University Institute of
Technology to Lamar Institute of Technology; Lamar University at Orange to
Lamar State College--Orange; and Lamar University at Port Arthur to Lamar
State College--Port Arthur.  Furthermore, this bill makes conforming
changes regarding allocations to state universities that have changed
names. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Section 96.703, Education Code, as follows:

Sec. 96.703.  New title:  LAMAR INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY.  Deletes
"University" from title.  Makes a conforming change. 

SECTION 2.  Amends Sections 96.704, Education Code, as follows:

Sec. 96.704.  New title:  LAMAR STATE COLLEGE--PORT ARTHUR AND LAMAR STATE
COLLEGE--ORANGE. (a)  Requires the board to establish and maintain
coeducational lower-division institutions of higher education as separate
accredited degreegranting institutions in the counties of Jefferson and
Orange, to be known as "Lamar State College--Port Arthur" and "Lamar State
College--Orange," rather than Lamar University, at Port Arthur and Orange,
respectively.   

(b)  Makes conforming changes.

(c)  Makes conforming changes.

(d)  Makes no change.

(e) Makes conforming changes.

SECTION 3.  Amends Sections 54.060(a), (e), and (g), Education Code, as
follows: 

(a)  Includes Lamar State College--Orange, Lamar State College--Port
Arthur, and Lamar Institute of Technology among a list of institutes and
colleges for which a nonresident tuition fee does not apply to a student
who is a resident of Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, or Oklahoma.  Deletes
a "two-year institution in the Lamar University System" from this list of
institutes and colleges.  Makes conforming changes. 
 
(e)  Makes a conforming change.

(g)  Deletes the definition of a "two year institution in the Lamar
University System" (Lamar University at Orange, Lamar University at Port
Arthur, or the Lamar Institute of Technology in Beaumont).  Makes a
nonsubstantive change. 

SECTION 4.  Amends Section 55.1724(a), Education Code, to make conforming
changes. 

SECTION 5.  Amends Section 62.021(a), Education Code, to allocate
$5,572,558 from funds distributed under this subsection by the Comptroller
of Public Accounts to Texas A&M University-Commerce and Texas A&M
University--Texarkana, rather than East Texas State University, including
East Texas State University at Texarkana.  Allocates $9,468,548 to Lamar
University, including Lamar State College--Orange and Lamar State
College--Port Arthur, rather than Lamar University at Orange and Port
Arthur, respectively.  Includes Rio Grande College, rather than Uvalde
Center, among a list of Texas State University System Administration and
component institutions to which $23,181,556 is allocated. 

SECTION 6.  Repealer:  Section 54.060(h), Education Code.  This subsection
states that if legislation enacted by the 74th Legislature, Regular
Session, 1995, transferring the governance of a two-year institution in the
Lamar University System to another board of regents becomes law, the
institution is considered to be an institution in the Lamar University
System.  It further states that if no such legislation becomes law, this
subsection expires January 1, 1996. 

SECTION 7.  Emergency clause.
  Effective date: upon passage.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE

The substitute modifies the original in SECTION 2, as follows:

Amends Section 96.704, Education Code, as follows:

Sec. 96.704.  New title:  LAMAR STATE COLLEGE -- PORT ARTHUR AND LAMAR
STATE COLLEGE--ORANGE.  Provides that Lamar State University at Port Arthur
and Lamar State University at Orange, which were renamed Lamar College at
Port Arthur and Lamar College at Orange in the original bill, are to be
known as "Lamar College--Port Arthur" and "Lamar College--Orange,"
respectively.  Makes conforming changes. 

The substitute modifies the original in SECTIONS 3, 4, and 5 to make
conforming changes with respect to the name change of the above mentioned
colleges.