By Rangel H.B. No. 2652
75R7521 JSA-F
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to creating a special college program to assist certain
1-3 persons to complete a college degree.
1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-5 SECTION 1. Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding
1-6 Subchapter R to read as follows:
1-7 SUBCHAPTER R. LONE STAR COLLEGE
1-8 Sec. 61.901. ROLE AND PURPOSE. Lone Star College is
1-9 established to provide an alternative to traditional university
1-10 programs through which an adult may earn a college degree that is
1-11 equivalent in quality to a degree earned at a traditional
1-12 accredited college or university and that is obtained through
1-13 equally rigorous academic course work. The college is intended to
1-14 serve individuals who, for personal, economic, family, or other
1-15 reasons, are unable to participate in a traditional university
1-16 program and who require a more flexible, self-paced program that
1-17 does not require continuous full-time enrollment and to provide a
1-18 means by which a student who accumulates college credits from one
1-19 or more institutions but has not been able to meet the graduation
1-20 residency requirements at an institution to obtain a degree.
1-21 Sec. 61.902. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
1-22 (1) "Board of regents" means the governing body of a
1-23 general academic teaching institution or university system
1-24 designated by the coordinating board to direct and control the
2-1 college.
2-2 (2) "College" means Lone Star College.
2-3 (3) "Coordinating board" means the Texas Higher
2-4 Education Coordinating Board.
2-5 (4) "Designated institution" means the institution of
2-6 higher education designated by the coordinating board to administer
2-7 the college.
2-8 (5) "Director" means the individual responsible for
2-9 administering the day-to-day operations of the college.
2-10 Sec. 61.903. ESTABLISHMENT. Lone Star College is
2-11 established as a degree-granting institution of higher education.
2-12 Sec. 61.904. ADMINISTRATION. (a) The coordinating board
2-13 shall:
2-14 (1) designate the governing board of a general
2-15 academic teaching institution or university system to govern and
2-16 control the college as its board of regents; and
2-17 (2) designate an institution of higher education under
2-18 the governance of the designated governing board to operate the
2-19 college.
2-20 (b) The designations made under Subsection (a) must be
2-21 approved by the designated governing board.
2-22 (c) The president of the designated institution is the
2-23 president of the college and shall manage the college in accordance
2-24 with the rules and regulations of the board of regents. The
2-25 president may employ a director and other staff to administer the
2-26 college.
2-27 Sec. 61.905. DEGREES. With the prior approval of the
3-1 coordinating board, the college may offer the following degrees in
3-2 the name of Lone Star College:
3-3 (1) associate of arts;
3-4 (2) associate of science;
3-5 (3) bachelor of arts;
3-6 (4) bachelor of science; and
3-7 (5) bachelor of general studies.
3-8 Sec. 61.906. ADMISSIONS; COURSE WORK. (a) A student is
3-9 eligible for admission to the college if the student:
3-10 (1) has earned a high school diploma or its
3-11 equivalent; and
3-12 (2) has accumulated not fewer than 30 semester credit
3-13 hours from one or more recognized, regionally accredited public or
3-14 independent institutions of higher education.
3-15 (b) The college may grant credit toward a degree for a
3-16 course taken at another institution of higher education only if the
3-17 student was enrolled for instruction and successfully fulfilled the
3-18 course requirements. The director may establish a minimum grade
3-19 that a student must have received in a course for the student to
3-20 receive credit for the course toward a degree at the college.
3-21 (c) For each student enrolled in the college, the director
3-22 shall:
3-23 (1) establish a degree plan;
3-24 (2) determine the courses that the student has
3-25 completed at other institutions for which credit may be granted
3-26 toward the student's degree plan; and
3-27 (3) determine the additional courses the student must
4-1 complete to obtain a degree.
4-2 (d) A student enrolled in the college may complete the
4-3 courses required to complete the student's degree plan at any
4-4 recognized, regionally accredited public or independent
4-5 institutions of higher education. To receive credit for a course
4-6 toward the student's degree, the student must successfully complete
4-7 the course with the minimum grade established by the director.
4-8 Sec. 61.907. PROHIBITIONS ON COLLEGE. The college may not:
4-9 (1) offer any courses;
4-10 (2) offer, accept, or grant credit toward a degree for
4-11 prior learning, educational activities, life or work experiences,
4-12 or other activities not performed in a collegiate setting; or
4-13 (3) offer, accept, or grant credit toward a degree
4-14 for:
4-15 (A) physical education courses;
4-16 (B) orientation courses, study skills courses,
4-17 or developmental or remedial education courses;
4-18 (C) pre-college-level courses; or
4-19 (D) other courses as determined by the board of
4-20 regents.
4-21 Sec. 61.908. PROHIBITIONS ON BOARD OF REGENTS. (a) The
4-22 board of regents may not:
4-23 (1) acquire land or other real property for the
4-24 college;
4-25 (2) use for the college:
4-26 (A) funds appropriated to an institution of
4-27 higher education under Section 17, Article VII, Texas Constitution,
5-1 and allocated under Chapter 62; or
5-2 (B) funds appropriated to an institution of
5-3 higher education under Section 18, Article VII, Texas Constitution;
5-4 or
5-5 (3) incur debt on behalf of the college.
5-6 (b) The board of regents may not establish a residency
5-7 requirement for students.
5-8 Sec. 61.909. ACCREDITATION. The board of regents shall seek
5-9 to obtain accreditation for the college by a recognized
5-10 accrediting agency. If the college is not accredited by August 31,
5-11 2003, the college is abolished.
5-12 Sec. 61.910. RULES. The coordinating board shall adopt
5-13 rules for the administration of this chapter and for the operation,
5-14 control, and management of the college.
5-15 Sec. 61.911. REPORT TO COORDINATING BOARD; AUDIT. (a) The
5-16 designated institution shall report annually to the coordinating
5-17 board on the performance of the college. The designated
5-18 institution shall include the following information for the period
5-19 covered by the annual report:
5-20 (1) detailed financial information relating to the
5-21 college;
5-22 (2) the number of students enrolled in and graduated
5-23 from the college; and
5-24 (3) other information required by the coordinating
5-25 board.
5-26 (b) At the request of the coordinating board, the state
5-27 auditor shall audit the books and records of the college.
6-1 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.
6-2 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the
6-3 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
6-4 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
6-5 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
6-6 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.