BILL ANALYSIS


                                                        H.B. 1336
                                          By: Rodriguez (Sponsor)
                                                        Education
                                                         05-04-95
                              Senate Committee Report (Unamended)
BACKGROUND

Texas students have limited options to pursue early enrollment in
higher education.  Students must receive approval from their high
school, pas all sections of the TAAS, obtain college-level
placement scores in reading, writing, and math on a college
entrance test, and pay tuition before pursuing early enrollment. 
However, students in other states have additional options,
including the removal of the requirement that the high school grant
permission, have tuition-free enrollment and the flexibility to
transfer funds from high schools to colleges and universities.

PURPOSE

As proposed, H.B. 1336 authorizes public junior colleges to offer
courses for joint high school and junior college credit and to
waive the tuition fee if the college chooses to do so.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not grant any
additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or
agency.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Chapter 130A, Education Code, by adding Section
130.008, as follows:

     Sec.  130.008.  COURSES FOR JOINT HIGH SCHOOL AND JUNIOR
     COLLEGE CREDIT.  (a)  Authorizes a public junior college to
     offer a course in which a student attending a high school
     operated by the school district may enroll and for which the
     student may simultaneously receive both course credit toward
     the student's high school academic requirements for
     graduation; and course credit as a student of the junior
     college, if the student has been admitted to the junior
     college or becomes eligible to enroll in and is subsequently
     admitted to the junior college.
     
     (b)  Authorizes the junior college to waive the tuition fee
       for a high school student enrolled in a course for which the
       student may receive joint credit under this section.
       
       (c)  Requires the contact hours attributable to the
       enrollment of a high school student in a course offered for
       joint high school and junior college credit under this
       section to be included in the contact hours used to
       determine the junior college's proportionate share of the
       state money appropriated and distributed to public junior
       colleges under Sections 130.003 and 130.0031, even if the
       junior college waives the tuition fee for the student under
       Subsection (b).
     SECTION 2.     Emergency clause.
           Effective date:  upon passage.