HBA-AMW H.B. 47 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 47 By: McClendon Higher Education 3/13/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Currently, Texas higher education institutions award fewer baccalaureate degrees, relative to the number of students enrolled, than both the national average and many of the most populous states. Although more than 400,000 Texans attend community or technical college, less than one-third of these students transfer to four-year public colleges or universities in Texas. Statistics show that students transferring from community or technical institutions are as likely, if not more likely, than other students to successfully complete a bachelor's degree. House Bill 47 establishes an incentive for community and technical college graduates to attend a four-year institution by requiring each general academic teaching institution to admit an applicant with a degree from a community college or technical institute in Texas who meets certain requirements. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that rulemaking authority is expressly delegated to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in SECTION 3 (Section 51.8065, Education Code) of this bill. ANALYSIS House Bill 47 amends the Education Code to require general academic teaching institutions to admit applicants for admission as undergraduate transfer students if they meet certain requirements. The bill requires general academic institutions to admit an applicant as an undergraduate transfer student if, in the year preceding the academic year for which the applicant is applying for admission, the applicant has received a degree or certificate from a public junior college or public technical institute in a program requiring at least 30 semester credit hours and has completed the program with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or the equivalent. To qualify for admission, the applicant must submit an application before the expiration of any application filing deadline established by the institution. The bill authorizes the institution to review the applicant's record and any other factor the institution deems appropriate to determine whether the applicant may require additional preparation for college-level work or would benefit from inclusion in a retention program. The bill authorizes the institution to require a student who is identified as requiring additional preparation or inclusion in a retention program to enroll during the summer immediately after the student is admitted to the institution to participate in the appropriate enrichment courses and orientation programs. The bill specifies that a student who is not identified as needing additional preparation for college-level work is not prohibited from enrolling during the summer immediately after the student is admitted to the institution. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and each general academic teaching institution are required to adopt rules or policies to enact these provisions no later than January 1, 2002. EFFECTIVE DATE On passage. The Act applies beginning with admissions for the 2002 fall semester.