By:  Carriker, Sims                                    S.B. No. 163
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
                                        AN ACT
    1-1  relating to the protection of buildings and grounds at private
    1-2  institutions of higher education.
    1-3        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-4        SECTION 1.  Section 51.212, Education Code, is amended by
    1-5  adding Subsection (c) to read as follows:
    1-6        (c)  In this section, "private institution of higher
    1-7  education" has the meaning assigned by Section 61.302 of this code
    1-8  and includes those institutions accredited by the Commission on
    1-9  Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
   1-10        SECTION 2.  Section 51.215, Education Code, is amended by
   1-11  amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (e) to read as
   1-12  follows:
   1-13        (a)  An institution of higher education<, as defined in
   1-14  Section 61.003 of this code, or a private institution of higher
   1-15  education that is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the
   1-16  Southern Association of Colleges and Schools,> is entitled to
   1-17  obtain criminal history record information pertaining to an
   1-18  applicant for employment for a security-sensitive position.  The
   1-19  institution of higher education may deny employment to an applicant
   1-20  for a security-sensitive position who fails to provide a complete
   1-21  set of fingerprints upon request.
   1-22        (e)  In this section, "institution of higher education"
   1-23  means:
   1-24              (1)  an institution of higher education, as defined by
    2-1  Section 61.003 of this code; and
    2-2              (2)  a private institution of higher education, as
    2-3  defined by Section 61.302 of this code, and includes those
    2-4  institutions accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the
    2-5  Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
    2-6        SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
    2-7  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
    2-8  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
    2-9  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   2-10  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
   2-11  and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
   2-12  passage, and it is so enacted.