HBA- NRS S.B. 82 77(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisS.B. 82
By: Madla
Public Education
4/18/2001
Committee Report (Amended)



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Current law authorizes a public junior college to offer a course in which a
student attending a high school may enroll and for which the student may
simultaneously receive dual credit towards the student's high school
academic requirements and course credit as a student of the junior college.
An opinion from the Office of the Attorney General in 1999 stated that the
legislature could amend current law to extend dual credit public junior
college courses to private school students.  Senate  Bill 82 extends the
option to take dual credit junior college courses to private school
students. 

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

Senate  Bill 82 amends the Education Code to authorize a public junior
college to offer a course in which a student attending any high school in
this state with written consent of the person operating the high school,
may enroll and simultaneously receive high school and junior college
credit. The bill provides that a public junior college must apply the same
criteria and conditions to each student wishing to enroll in such a course
without regard to whether the student attends a public, private, parochial,
or home school.  The bill provides that a student who attends a school that
is not formally organized as a high school and is at least 16 years of age
is considered to be attending a high school.   

EFFECTIVE DATE

The Act takes effect on the 91st day after adjournment.  The Act applies
beginning with the 2001 fall semester. 

EXPLANATION OF AMENDMENTS

Committee Amendment No. 1 specifies that a private high school student may
receive college and high school course credit from a course offered by a
public junior college under an agreement between the organization or other
person that operates the school and the public junior college.