HBA-MPM H.B. 2885 76(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 2885
By: Bailey
Higher Education
3/18/1999
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

In 1988, the Commissioner of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
(board) appointed a committee to study the use of part-time faculty in
public institutions of higher education.  One of the committee's charges
was to determine if part-time faculty received equitable salaries and
benefits.  The committee concluded that additional appropriations are
needed to address inequities in the compensation of part-time faculty.
Subsequently, the 72nd Texas Legislature passed a resolution requesting
each public institution of higher education to report to the board on the
steps taken to conform to the committee's recommendation regarding
part-time faculty salaries.  It has since been revealed that full-time
temporary faculty members also suffer from salary inequities. 

H.B. 2885 provides a minimum salary for a part-time faculty member of $900
per semester credit hour (hour) for the 1999-2000 academic year and $1,100
per hour for the 2000-2001 academic year; and $1,100 per hour for the
1999-2000 academic year and $1,300 per hour for the 2000-2001 academic year
for full-time temporary faculty members.   

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 Subchapter Z, Chapter 51, Education Code, by adding
Section 51.9085, as follows: 

Sec. 51.9085.  MINIMUM SALARIES FOR TEMPORARY AND PART-TIME FACULTY. (a)
Defines, for the purposes of this section, the following terms:  "academic
year," "institution of higher education," "part-time faculty member," and
"temporary full-time faculty member." 

(b)  Provides that the minimum salary for a part-time faculty member is
$900 per semester credit hour (hour) for the 1999-2000 academic year and
$1,100 per hour for the 20002001 academic year. 

(c)  Provides that the minimum salary for a temporary full-time faculty
member is $1,100 per hour for the 1999-2000 academic year and $1,300 per
hour for the 2000-2001 academic year. 

(d)  Prohibits an institution of higher education (institution) from paying
a faculty member covered by this section a salary or wages in an amount
less than the applicable minimum salary provided in this section. 

(e)  Requires the comptroller of public accounts, if an institution pays a
faculty member covered by this section less than the minimum salary
required by this section, to reduce the amount of the next transfer or
transfers of money appropriated to the institution that may be used for
instruction in an amount equal to that of formula funding attributable to
the hours taught by the faculty member when the faculty member was paid
less than the  required minimum salary.  Provides that for the purposes of
this subsection, the amount of formula funding is determined according to
the formulas developed for the applicable academic year by the Texas Higher
Education Coordinating Board (board) under Section 61.059 (Appropriations),
Education Code, and the institution's appropriation request prepared using
those formulas. 

(f)  Provides that this section expires January 1, 2002.

SECTION 2.Emergency clause.
  Effective date: upon passage.