HBA-CBW H.B. 3053 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 3053 By: Rangel Higher Education 4/8/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE In Texas, some educational institutions do not work together to promote and make accessible a quality education for every citizen. In many instances, students entering college take developmental courses because they are unprepared for college level courses. When the legislature created the Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP), the intent was to begin discussions and coordinate efforts between the higher education and public education communities regarding the issue of better preparing students at the elementary and secondary levels to meet the challenges of a postsecondary education. After twelve years of TASP testing, there is still a need to increase the collaboration between both of these communities. A more aggressive campaign on the importance of a college education in a competitive job market could encourage more Texans to attend college. Hence, a collaborative effort between the state's education leaders could help to solve this challenge. House Bill 3053 requires the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to establish policies and strategies to assist the educational community to achieve an effective and coordinated educational system. 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. ANALYSIS House Bill 3053 amends the Education Code to require the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (board) to develop and periodically update a set of policies and strategies to assist public and private entities and public officials to achieve an effective and coordinated educational system that: _provides each person with reasonable educational opportunities at any age to enable the person to achieve the person's full potential as a productive citizen; _provides education and training that is appropriate to the needs of this state and its people, including employers; _promotes the most efficient overall use of public and private resources in providing educational services; and _ensures to the extent practicable that all educational institutions work together. The bill requires the board to include specific policies and strategies and requires the board to coordinate or communicate with any relevant entity to develop the policies and strategies, including the commissioner of education and the Texas Education Agency, public and private institutions of higher education and other postsecondary educational institutions, the Texas Workforce Commission, the State Board for Educator Certification, and school districts and organizations that conduct private school or home-school support activities. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001.