By Swinford H.B. No. 2456
Substitute the following for H.B. No. 2456:
By Rangel C.S.H.B. No. 2456
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to state funding for and tuition charged to certain
1-3 undergraduate students who accumulate excessive credit hours and to
1-4 the number of credit hours required in a degree program.
1-5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-6 SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, is
1-7 amended by adding Section 61.0595 to read as follows:
1-8 Sec. 61.0595. FUNDING FOR CERTAIN EXCESS UNDERGRADUATE
1-9 CREDIT HOURS. (a) In the formulas established under Section
1-10 61.059, the board may not include funding for semester credit hours
1-11 attempted by a resident undergraduate student who before the
1-12 semester or other academic session begins has previously attempted
1-13 170 or more semester credit hours for courses taken at any
1-14 institution of higher education while classified as a resident
1-15 student for tuition purposes.
1-16 (b) Subsection (a) does not apply to a student enrolled in:
1-17 (1) two or more baccalaureate degree programs at the
1-18 same time;
1-19 (2) a double major degree program that requires 130 or
1-20 more semester credits for completion; or
1-21 (3) a health professional baccalaureate degree
1-22 program.
1-23 (c) For a student enrolled in a baccalaureate program under
1-24 Section 51.931, semester credit hours earned by the student 10 or
2-1 more years before the date the student begins the new degree
2-2 program under Section 51.931 are not counted for purposes of
2-3 determining whether the student has previously earned the number of
2-4 semester credit hours specified by Subsection (a).
2-5 (d) The following are not counted for purposes of
2-6 determining whether the student has previously earned the number of
2-7 semester credit hours specified by Subsection (a):
2-8 (1) semester credit hours earned by the student before
2-9 receiving a baccalaureate degree that has previously been awarded
2-10 to the student;
2-11 (2) semester credit hours earned by the student by
2-12 examination or under any other procedure by which credit is earned
2-13 without registering for a course for which tuition is charged; and
2-14 (3) credit for a remedial education course or another
2-15 course that does not count toward a degree program at the
2-16 institution.
2-17 (4) semester credit hours earned by the student at a
2-18 private institution or an out-of-state institution.
2-19 SECTION 2. Subchapter B, Chapter 54, Education Code, is
2-20 amended by adding Section 54.068 to read as follows:
2-21 Sec. 54.068. TUITION FOR EXCESSIVE UNDERGRADUATE HOURS. An
2-22 institution of higher education may charge a resident student
2-23 tuition at a higher rate than the rate charged to other resident
2-24 students, not to exceed the rate charged to nonresident students,
2-25 for a course for which Section 61.0595 requires the Texas Higher
2-26 Education Coordinating Board to exclude funding for the semester
2-27 credit hours for which the student registers if the student has
3-1 previously attempted 170 or more semester credit hours.
3-2 SECTION 3. Subchapter A, Chapter 54, Education Code, is
3-3 amended by adding Section 54.0065 to read as follows:
3-4 Sec. 54.0065. TUITION REBATE FOR CERTAIN UNDERGRADUATES.
3-5 (a) A qualified student is eligible for a rebate of a portion of
3-6 the undergraduate tuition the student has paid if the student:
3-7 (1) is awarded a baccalaureate degree from a general
3-8 academic teaching institution; and
3-9 (2) has attempted no more than six hours in excess of
3-10 the minimum number of semester credit hours required to complete
3-11 the degree, including transfer credits and course credit earned
3-12 exclusively by examination.
3-13 (b) The amount of tuition to be rebated to a student under
3-14 this section is $1,000, unless the total amount of tuition paid by
3-15 the student to the institution of higher education awarding the
3-16 degree was less than $1,000, the student may qualify for a $1,000
3-17 rebate by providing the institution with proof of the total amount
3-18 of tuition paid to an institution of higher education.
3-19 (c) A student who has transferred from another institution
3-20 of higher education shall provide the institution awarding the
3-21 degree an official transcript from each institution attended by the
3-22 student in order that the total number of hours attempted by the
3-23 student can be verified.
3-24 (d) To qualify for a rebate under this section, the student
3-25 must have been a resident of this state and entitled to pay tuition
3-26 at at rate provided by this chapter for a resident student at all
3-27 times while pursuing the degree.
4-1 (e) All institutions of higher education shall notify each
4-2 first-time freshman student of the tuition rebate program.
4-3 (f) The institution awarding the degree shall pay the rebate
4-4 under this section from local funds.
4-5 (g) The legislature shall account in the General
4-6 Appropriations Act for the rebates authorized by this section in a
4-7 way that provides a corresponding increase in the general revenue
4-8 funds appropriated to the institution. It is the intent of the
4-9 legislature that rebates authorized by this section shall be
4-10 financed by savings to the state resulting from reductions in the
4-11 number of courses taken by undergraduate students.
4-12 (h) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, in
4-13 consultation with the institutions of higher education, shall adopt
4-14 rules for the administration of this section.
4-15 SECTION 4. Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, is
4-16 amended by adding Section 61.0551 to read as follows:
4-17 Sec. 61.0551. CREDIT HOURS REQUIRED FOR DEGREE. (a) An
4-18 institution of higher education may not require a student to
4-19 complete more than 120 semester credit hours to complete a
4-20 baccalaureate degree program, except as otherwise provided by this
4-21 section.
4-22 (b) The Board may permit an institution to require a student
4-23 to complete more than the number of semester credit hours permitted
4-24 by Subsection (a) to complete a baccalaureate degree program if the
4-25 institution establishes to the satisfaction of the board that the
4-26 requirement is reasonable considering the requirements for
4-27 comparable degree programs at other institutions, applicable
5-1 accreditation standards, professional trends and licensing
5-2 requirements in the field, and other relevant factors. The board
5-3 shall require an institution that receives approval of the semester
5-4 credit hour requirement for a degree program under this subsection
5-5 to reestablish the reasonableness of the requirement for that
5-6 degree program every five years.
5-7 (c) Subsection (a) does not prohibit a student from
5-8 completing more semester hours than required for the degree
5-9 program.
5-10 (d) Subsection (a) does not apply to a degree program in
5-11 existence on January 1, 1997, until September 1, 1999. On and
5-12 after that date, every baccalaureate degree program at an
5-13 institution of higher education must comply with this section.
5-14 SECTION 5. (a) This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.
5-15 (b) Section 54.068, Education Code, as added by this Act,
5-16 applies beginning with tuition charged for the 1997 fall semester.
5-17 (c) Section 54.0065, Education Code, as added by this Act
5-18 applies only to students completing a baccalaureate degree program
5-19 on or after September 1, 1997.
5-20 (d) Section 61.059, Education Code, as added by this Act,
5-21 applies to funding beginning with the 1997 fall semester.
5-22 SECTION 6. The importance of this legislation and the
5-23 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
5-24 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
5-25 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
5-26 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.