By Goolsby, et al. H.B. No. 858 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to providing for open enrollment for a portion of those 1-3 persons admitted as undergraduates at certain public institutions 1-4 of higher education. 1-5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-6 SECTION 1. Chapter 51, Education Code, is amended by adding 1-7 Subchapter S to read as follows: 1-8 SUBCHAPTER S. ADMISSIONS 1-9 Sec. 51.761. DEFINITIONS. The definitions provided by 1-10 Section 61.003 apply to this subchapter. 1-11 Sec. 51.762. OPEN ENROLLMENT FOR UNDERGRADUATES. (a) Each 1-12 general academic teaching institution, except upper-level 1-13 institutions, shall admit a portion of the undergraduate students 1-14 admitted to the institution in each academic year through open 1-15 enrollment as provided by this section. 1-16 (b) The portion of the undergraduates admitted each academic 1-17 year that must be admitted to an institution through open 1-18 enrollment is determined as follows: 1-19 (1) for an institution with a total enrollment for the 1-20 preceding academic year of 30,000 or more, one percent of the 1-21 undergraduates admitted must be admitted through open enrollment; 1-22 (2) for an institution with a total enrollment for the 1-23 preceding academic year of 10,000 or more but less than 30,000, two 1-24 percent of the undergraduates admitted must be admitted through 2-1 open enrollment; and 2-2 (3) for an institution with a total enrollment for the 2-3 preceding academic year of less than 10,000, two percent of the 2-4 undergraduates admitted must be admitted through open enrollment. 2-5 (c) The institution shall admit through open enrollment each 2-6 applicant who has earned a high school diploma or the equivalent 2-7 and who is not admitted under another category or process. If the 2-8 number of applicants who have earned a high school diploma or the 2-9 equivalent and who are not admitted under another category or 2-10 process exceeds the number of available spaces for admission, the 2-11 institution by lot shall select the appropriate number of 2-12 applicants to admit under this subsection. The institution may 2-13 require a student admitted under this subsection to enter the 2-14 institution in a summer term. 2-15 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 1997, and 2-16 applies to admissions for academic years beginning with the 2-17 1998-1999 academic year. 2-18 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 2-19 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 2-20 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 2-21 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 2-22 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.