BILL ANALYSIS


                                                        H.B. 2187
                                              By: Kamel (Ratliff)
                                                        Education
                                                          5-18-95
                              Senate Committee Report (Unamended)
BACKGROUND

Current law encourages upper-level universities or centers to enter
into partnerships with other public community colleges which are
located in the same service region as adopted by the Texas Higher
Education Coordinating Board.

PURPOSE

As proposed, H.B. 2187 allows the University of Texas at Tyler to
seek and to expand partnership agreements authorized by Chapter 51N
of this code.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that rulemaking authority is granted
under SECTION 3 (Sec. 76.07(d), Education Code)of this bill.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Section 76.02, Education Code, as follows:

     (a)  Makes conforming changes.
     
     (b)  Authorizes the University of Texas at Tyler (institution)
     to offer lower division courses relating to an engineering
     degree program if such courses are offered as part of a
     partnership agreement entered into under Chapter 51N of this
     code if the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
     (coordinating board) approves an engineering degree program at
     the institution.
     
     SECTION 2.     Amends Section 76.05, Education Code, as follows:

     (a)  Created from existing text.
     
     (b)  Requires the board of regents (board) of the University
     of Texas System to solicit and may accept donations, gifts,
     and endowments from private sources to provide equipment and
     other personal property for the engineering degree program, if
     one is established.  Requires the board to establish an
     account for the deposit of money accepted under this
     subsection.  Authorizes money in the account to be used only
     to provide and maintain equipment and other personal property
     used by the engineering degree program.
     
     SECTION 3.     Amends Chapter 76, Education Code, by adding Section
76.07, as follows:

     Sec.  76.07.  PARTNERSHIPS WITH JUNIOR COLLEGES AND OTHER
     INSTITUTIONS.  (a)  Requires the institution to seek to build
     and expand partnership agreements authorized by Chapter 51N of
     this code.  Authorizes the institution to enter into a
     partnership agreement with a private institution of higher
     education located in the same county as any campus of the
     institution with the approval of the coordinating board,
     subject to the same provisions as provided by Chapter 51N, for
     a partnership agreement between the institution and a public
     junior college.
     
     (b)  Requires the institution and any other party to an
       agreement to take into account the need in the service
       region to recruit minority and lower-income students into
       degree-granting programs of institutions of higher education
       in developing programs and courses subject to a partnership
       agreement.
       
       (c)  Requires the institution and any other party to a
       partnership agreement to take into account, in addition to
       any other relevant factors, the cost-effectiveness and other
       impact such courses will have on students likely to enroll
       in the courses as well as any impact such courses will have
       on the community as a whole in deciding whether the
       institution may offer any lower division courses pursuant to
       Section 76.02 of this code.
       
       (d)  Requires the coordinating board to adopt a formula
       pursuant to its duties and powers under this code that
       applies the formula for four-year general academic teaching
       institutions to all lower division semester credit hours
       offered at the institution in addition to any other formula
       funding that the institution might be entitled to receive
       for upper division credit hours that it offers if the
       institution offers lower division courses.
       
       (e)  Entitles a nonresident student who is simultaneously
       enrolled in the institution and another public institution
       of higher education under a program offered jointly by the
       two institutions under a partnership agreement and who pays
       the fees and charges required of Texas residents at one of
       the institutions as provided by Section 54.064 because the
       student holds a competitive scholarship to pay the fees and
       charges required of Texas residents at each public
       institution of higher education in which the student is
       simultaneously enrolled under the program.
       
       (f)  Authorizes the institution and other parties to a
       partnership agreement to contract with any person to provide
       shuttle bus service or other transportation service for or
       among the campuses of the institutions that are parties to
       the agreement and to charge and collect a fee from students
       registered in courses at the campuses of two or more of the
       institutions in the same semester or term in an amount
       determined by the institutions to pay for all or part of the
       costs of that service.
       
       SECTION 4.   Emergency clause.
           Effective date:  upon passage.