MMA C.S.H.B. 2517 75(R)BILL ANALYSIS HIGHER EDUCATION C.S.H.B. 2517 By: Dunnam 4-3-97 Committee Report (Substituted) BACKGROUND This bill would implement recommendation ED 15 from Disturbing the Peace: The Challenge of Change in Texas Government, relating to the development of a community college information system by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB). Information already available to THECB could be used to provide useful and comparable information for local boards, students, consumers, taxpayers, and elected officials. This information would allow student consumers to make informed decisions about how to spend their tuition dollars. The information could also be used by local boards and administrators to compare their performance to similar institutions. Currently, community colleges contract for annual financial audits. Guidance from the State Auditor could help community colleges and local boards ensure the effectiveness of those audits. PURPOSE C.S.H.B. 2517 would require THECB to collect, maintain, and report comparative information for public junior colleges and public technical institutes and make it available to anyone interested. The bill also requires the State Auditor to provide written information about the independent audit process and how to request assistance in preparing for the audit from the State Auditor. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency or institution. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, by adding Section 61.0514 to read as follows: Sec. 61.0514. COMPARATIVE INFORMATION RELATING TO POSTSECONDARY VOCATIONAL AND TECHNICAL EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS. (a) Requires THECB to provide comparative information on public junior colleges and public technical institutes. Requires that THECB report the information gathered and include the following: (1) certain financial information; (2) student information, including demographics; (3) information on quality and types of programs, faculty quality, and libraries; and (4) specific institutional statistics. (b) Requires THECB to provide the collected information in a published comparative format to facilitate a person's enrollment decision making, including certain institutional information. Requires THECB to include comparative information for degree-granting proprietary schools to the extent practicable. (c) Requires THECB to appoint an advisory committee to assist in identifying, collecting, and reporting information. Requires that the advisory committee include members representing the governor, the Texas Workforce Commission, the Legislative Budget Board, the state auditor, the standing committees of each house of the Legislature with primary jurisdiction over state appropriations and higher education, a public technical institute; a statewide association of junior colleges, and students and members of the general public. SECTION 2. Amends Chapter 321, Government Code, by adding Section 321.0137, to read as follows: Sec. 321.0137. INDEPENDENT AUDIT OF JUNIOR COLLEGE DISTRICT. (a) Requires the State Auditor to provide junior college districts with written information relating to the procedures for and scope of the independent audits of junior college districts. Requires the State Auditor to include information on the following: (1) how district representatives may participate in the audit planning process; and (2) how districts may request information or assistance from the State Auditor in preparing for the audit. (b) Mandates that the State Auditor seek the recommendations of THECB in preparing materials provided under Subsection (a). SECTION 3. (a) Effective date: September 1, 1997. (b) Requires THECB compliance no later than September 1, 1998. SECTION 4. Emergency clause. COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE C.S.H.B. 2517 makes non-substantive language changes to make it consistent with language contained in a rider in the General Appropriations Bill relating to state oversight and evaluation of public junior colleges and other postsecondary institutions of vocational or technical education. A provision contained in the original bill [Sec. 321.0135 (b)] which required THECB to provide a public junior college district with information or assistance in preparing for an audit was deleted.