HBA-MPM H.B. 1882 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1882 By: Naishtat Higher Education 3/17/1999 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The 75th Legislature passed a bill which cut off state formula funding for university graduate students with more than 99 credit hours and vested authority to grant exemptions with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (board). The intent of that legislation was to encourage steady progress toward graduation, but it did not provide sufficient guidance to the board in how to administer individual and program exemptions. H.B. 1882 codifies the rulings the board has already made with regard to reasonable exemptions to the 99-hour rule. 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 61.059(l), Education Code, as follows: (l)(1) Prohibits the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (board) from including in any formula under this section funding based on the number of doctoral students who have a total of 100 or more semester credit hours (hours) of doctoral work at an institution of higher education, except as provided by this section, rather than by Subdivision (2). (2) Makes a conforming change. (3) Requires the board to establish guidelines recognizing other reasonable exceptions to Subdivision (1), under which an institution may designate doctoral students for whom the board shall approve funding for more than 100 hours, but not to exceed 130 hours. (4) Requires the board to establish guidelines for identifying doctoral programs that should be exempt from Subdivision (1), under which an institution may designate particular doctoral programs for which the board is required to approve formula funding for all doctoral students enrolled in the doctoral programs without regard to the number of hours a student has attempted. (5) Requires the board to approve formula funding for all doctoral students enrolled in a doctoral program that is substantially similar to a doctoral program offered by another institution of higher education funded in a manner that does not directly depend on whether a student in the program pays tuition at the rate charged other Texas residents or at a higher rate. (6) Redesignated from existing Subdivision (3). Requires the board to report to the Legislative Budget Board, as part of its report on formula funding recommendations, a list of the exceptions approved under this section, rather than under Subdivision (2), and the associated costs in formula-based funding. SECTION 2. Makes this Act applicable only to a formula established under Section 61.059, Education Code, on or after September 1, 1999. SECTION 3.Emergency clause. Effective date: upon passage.