BILL ANALYSIS



S.B. 1154
By: Ratliff (Place)
04-26-95
Committee Report (Unamended)


BACKGROUND

Minorities have historically been under-represented in certain
professional occupations with the Texas Department of
Transportation.  To help address this problem, the 72nd Texas
Legislature established a Conditional Grant Program which provided
the opportunity for eligible minorities to pursue a degree in civil
engineering paid by the department if they agreed to work for the
department for two years.

PURPOSE

As proposed, C.S.S.B. 1154 expands the Conditional Grant Program to
include women as an eligible minority since women are also under-represented in the engineering field.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that rulemaking authority is granted
to the Texas Department of Transportation under SECTIONS 4 (Sec.
56.144, Education Code) and 5 (Sec. 56.145(a), Education Code) of
this bill.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Section 56.141, Education Code, by amending
Subdivision (1) and adding Subdivisions (3), (4), and (5), as
follows:

     (1)  Redefines "department."
     
     (2)-(5)  Define "eligible degree," "eligible profession," and
     "profession."
      SECTION 2.    Amends Section 56.142(a), Education Code, to require the
Texas Department of Transportation (department) to establish and
administer a conditional grant program under this subchapter to
provide financial assistance to eligible women and minority
students who agree to work for the department in an eligible
profession for the two academic years immediately following the
date of the student's receipt of an eligible degree.  

SECTION 3. Amends Section 56.143, Education Code, to make
conforming changes.

SECTION 4. Amends Section 56.144, Education Code, as follows:

     Sec.  56.144.  AMOUNT AND PAYMENT OF CONDITIONAL GRANTS.  (a) 
     Requires the department, by rule, to prescribe criteria for
     the selection of applicants for grants under this subchapter. 
     Requires the criteria to include consideration of a student's
     secondary school scholastic record.
     
     (b)  Makes conforming changes.
       
       (c)-(e)  Redesignate existing Subsections (b)-(d).
     SECTION 5.     Amends Sections 56.145(a) and (b), Education Code,
as follows:

     (a)  Authorizes the department, by rule, to establish
     conditions under which a student who has received a
     conditional grant may be required to repay all or part of the
     grant because the student has withdrawn from or dropped out of
     the student's institution or has otherwise failed to maintain
     eligibility for the grant.  Deletes text regarding a
     requirement to repay a grant received for the semester.
     
     (b)  Makes conforming changes.
     SECTION 6.     Amends Section 56.147, Education Code, as follows:
     
     Sec.  56.147.  FUNDING  (a)  Authorizes the department to use
     available money credited to the state highway fund.
     
     (b)  Requires the department to issue not less than $400,000
     annually in conditional grants under this subchapter from
     gifts, grants, and funds described by Subsection (a).
     
     SECTION 7.     Repealer:  Section 56.146, Education Code (Funding).

SECTION 8. Effective date:  September 1, 1995. 
           Makes application of this Act prospective.
           
SECTION 9. Emergency clause.



SUMMARY OF COMMITTEE ACTION

Pursuant to a public notice posted on April 21, 1995, at 4:04 p.m.,
the House Committee on Transportation met in a public hearing on
Wednesday, April 26, 1995, at 2:00 p.m., or upon adjournment, in
Room E1.014 of the Capitol Extension and was called to order at
6:13 p.m. by the Chair, Representative Clyde Alexander.  Pursuant
to Rule 4, Section 11 of the House Rules the Chair laid out S.B.
1154 by Ratliff, which is the companion document to H.B. 2783. 
Representative Clemons moved that the committee report S.B. 1154,
without amendments, to the full House with the recommendation that
it do pass.  The motion prevailed by the following vote: Ayes (8),
Nayes (0), Absent (1), Present not voting (0).