By Kamel                                              H.B. No. 2578
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to certain community and junior colleges and upper-level
    1-3  universities or centers and to partnership agreements between those
    1-4  colleges and universities.
    1-5        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-6        SECTION 1.  Section 51.661, Education Code, is amended to
    1-7  read as follows:
    1-8        Sec. 51.661.  Purpose.  The purpose of this subchapter is to
    1-9  encourage partnerships between public community/junior colleges and
   1-10  upper-level universities or centers which are located in the same
   1-11  state uniform service region as adopted by the Texas Higher
   1-12  Education Coordinating Board <share common campuses> in order to
   1-13  improve the continuity, quality, and efficiency of educational
   1-14  programs and services.
   1-15        SECTION 2.  Section 51.662, Education Code, is amended to
   1-16  read as follows:
   1-17        Sec. 51.662.  Partnership Agreements.  With the approval of
   1-18  the coordinating board, the governing boards of a public
   1-19  community/junior college and an upper-level university or center
   1-20  which are located in the same state uniform service region as
   1-21  adopted by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board <share a
   1-22  common campus> may enter into a partnership agreement designed to
   1-23  coordinate the management and operations of the institutions.  The
    2-1  agreements shall in no way abrogate the powers and duties of the
    2-2  boards with regard to the governance of their respective
    2-3  institutions.
    2-4        SECTION 3.  Section 51.666, Education Code, is amended to
    2-5  read as follows:
    2-6        Sec. 51.666.  Facilities.  A participating upper-level
    2-7  university or center may lease facilities from or to the
    2-8  community/junior college for administrative and instructional
    2-9  purposes.  Community/junior college facilities may not be
   2-10  transferred to the university or center and may not be included in
   2-11  the space inventory of the university or center for formula funding
   2-12  purposes.
   2-13        SECTION 4.  It is the intent of the legislature that The
   2-14  University of Texas at Tyler offer, on its campus, a high quality,
   2-15  fully integrated four-year undergraduate experience using a
   2-16  partnership with an area community college or colleges as a no cost
   2-17  method of meeting immediate community needs.  The University may
   2-18  offer its own freshman and sophomore level courses not earlier than
   2-19  the Fall semester, 1997.
   2-20        SECTION 5.  Section 76.02, Education Code, is amended to read
   2-21  as follows:
   2-22        Sec. 76.02.  Role and Scope.  The institution shall offer
   2-23  <junior and senior> undergraduate programs and graduate programs,
   2-24  both of which are subject to the authority of the Texas Higher
   2-25  Education Coordinating Board<, Texas College and University
    3-1  System>.
    3-2        SECTION 6.  The importance of this legislation and the
    3-3  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
    3-4  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
    3-5  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
    3-6  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
    3-7  and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
    3-8  passage, and it is so enacted.