By Garcia H.B. No. 2890 75R8824 JSA-D A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to admission policies for certain institutions of higher 1-3 education. 1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-5 SECTION 1. Chapter 51, Education Code, is amended by adding 1-6 Subchapter S to read as follows: 1-7 SUBCHAPTER S. ADMISSIONS 1-8 Sec. 51.801. DEFINITION. In this subchapter, "general 1-9 academic teaching institution" has the meaning assigned by Section 1-10 61.003. 1-11 Sec. 51.802. AUTOMATIC ADMISSION. (a) Each general 1-12 academic teaching institution shall admit an applicant for 1-13 admission to the institution as an undergraduate student if the 1-14 applicant graduates from a public or private high school in this 1-15 state accredited by a generally recognized accrediting organization 1-16 with a grade-point average in the top 10 percent of the applicant's 1-17 high school graduating class. 1-18 (b) If the number of applicants entitled to automatic 1-19 admission under Subsection (a) seeking admission to a general 1-20 academic teaching institution exceeds the available number of 1-21 spaces offered for enrollment at the institution for any semester: 1-22 (1) the institution shall conduct a lottery to award 1-23 the spaces to eligible applicants; and 1-24 (2) an eligible applicant not selected for admission 2-1 may delay the applicant's admission to the institution until space 2-2 is available. 2-3 (c) For purposes of this section, it is presumed that a high 2-4 school student with a grade-point average in the top 10 percent of 2-5 the student's high school class at the beginning of a semester in 2-6 which the student is entitled to graduate will graduate with a 2-7 grade-point average in the top 10 percent of the student's high 2-8 school graduating class. If the student does not graduate at the 2-9 end of that semester, or fails to graduate with a grade-point 2-10 average in the top 10 percent of the student's graduating class, 2-11 the institution may, but is not required to, withdraw an offer of 2-12 admission to the student, even if the student has accepted the 2-13 offer. An offer of admission to a student to whom the presumption 2-14 applies must indicate whether the offer may be withdrawn under this 2-15 subsection and that the student's acceptance of the offer is 2-16 conditioned on the student graduating at the end of that semester 2-17 as required by Subsection (a). 2-18 Sec. 51.803. OPEN ADMISSIONS. A general academic teaching 2-19 institution, after admitting students under Section 51.802, shall 2-20 admit all other applicants for admission as undergraduate students 2-21 who have graduated from an accredited high school or who have 2-22 earned the equivalent of a high school degree. If the number of 2-23 eligible applicants exceeds the available number of spaces offered 2-24 for enrollment, the institution shall conduct a lottery to award 2-25 the spaces to eligible applicants. 2-26 SECTION 2. (a) The change in law made by this Act applies 2-27 beginning with admissions for the fall term or semester in 1998. 3-1 (b) Each general academic teaching institution shall adopt 3-2 policies relating to the admission of students under Subchapter S, 3-3 Chapter 51, Education Code, as added by this Act, not later than 3-4 January 1, 1998. 3-5 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 3-6 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 3-7 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 3-8 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 3-9 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.