By Delisi                                             H.B. No. 1460

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the name of a public junior or community college.

 1-3           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-4           SECTION 1.  Subchapter A, Chapter 130, Education Code, is

 1-5     amended by adding Section 130.0051 to read as follows:

 1-6           Sec. 130.0051.  OTHER CHANGE OF NAME BY JUNIOR COLLEGE

 1-7     DISTRICT.  (a)  The board of trustees of a junior college district

 1-8     by resolution may change the name of the district or a college

 1-9     within the district by eliminating the words "community" or

1-10     "junior" from the name of the district or college, unless the

1-11     change would cause the district or college to have the same or

1-12     substantially the same name as an existing district, college, or

1-13     other public or private institution of higher education in this

1-14     state.

1-15           (b)  The board of trustees shall file with the Texas Higher

1-16     Education Coordinating Board a copy of a resolution adopted under

1-17     Subsection (a) that is certified by the secretary of the board of

1-18     trustees.  The name change is effective on the date the resolution

1-19     is filed with the coordinating board. After a name change is filed,

1-20     the college or district shall use the new name in all official

1-21     actions, communications, or records.

1-22           SECTION 2.  Section 130.082(c), Education Code, is amended to

1-23     read as follows:

1-24           (c)  The official name of a junior college district shall be

 2-1     the "__________ Junior College District" unless the board of

 2-2     trustees of the district elects to call the district a community

 2-3     college district, in which event the official name of the junior

 2-4     college district shall be the "________ Community College

 2-5     District."  The [and the] board shall designate an appropriate and

 2-6     locally pertinent descriptive word or words to be filled in the

 2-7     appropriate [aforesaid] blank (and may change such designation when

 2-8     deemed advisable) by resolution or order;  provided that no two

 2-9     districts shall have the same or substantially similar names. A

2-10     district may change its name under Section 130.005 or 130.0051. All

2-11     resolutions or orders designating or changing names shall  be filed

2-12     immediately with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board[,

2-13     Texas College and University System,] and the first name filed

2-14     shall  have priority, and the district shall be advised of any

2-15     previous filing of any identical or substantially similar name.

2-16     The name of any junior college district existing on September 1,

2-17     1997, [the effective date of this code] shall remain the same until

2-18     and unless it is changed under this chapter [pursuant hereto], and

2-19     any change in the name of a junior college district made before

2-20     that date is validated and is deemed to have been properly made.

2-21     Another [no other] district may not [shall] use the name of any

2-22     [such existing] district whose name change is validated under this

2-23     subsection.

2-24           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

2-25           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the

2-26     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-27     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

 3-1     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 3-2     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.