By:  Bivins                                   S.B. No. 150

         97S0076/1                            

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

                                       AN ACT

 1-1     relating to a common admission application form at certain

 1-2     institutions of higher education.

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

 1-4           SECTION 1.  Subchapter Z, Chapter 51, Education Code, is

 1-5     amended by adding Section 51.942 to read as follows:

 1-6           Sec. 51.942.  COMMON ADMISSION APPLICATION FORM.  (a)  As

 1-7     used in this section, "general academic teaching institution,"

 1-8     "governing board," and "university system" have the meanings

 1-9     assigned by Section 61.003.

1-10           (b)  The governing board of a university system shall adopt a

1-11     common admission application form to be used by any person seeking

1-12     undergraduate admission to one or more of the general academic

1-13     teaching institutions within the university system.

1-14           (c)  The form shall be filed by all such applicants at one

1-15     central location designated by the governing board.

1-16           (d)  The form shall allow each applicant to:

1-17                 (1)  apply to one or more of the general academic

1-18     teaching institutions within the university system; and

1-19                 (2)  indicate preferences for admission between those

1-20     institutions.

1-21           (e)  The governing board may not charge an applicant more

1-22     than one fee for the filing of a common admission application form.

1-23           SECTION 2.  The common admission application form and uniform

 2-1     fee required by this Act shall be used for all undergraduate

 2-2     applications for admission to general academic teaching

 2-3     institutions within a university system beginning with the fall

 2-4     semester of 1998.

 2-5           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

 2-6     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

 2-7     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

 2-8     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 2-9     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

2-10     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

2-11     passage, and it is so enacted.