1-1           By:  Bivins                                      S.B. No. 150

 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed December 17, 1996; January 14, 1997,

 1-3     read first time and referred to Committee on Education;

 1-4     February 19, 1997, reported adversely, with favorable Committee

 1-5     Substitute by the following vote:  Yeas 10, Nays 1;

 1-6     February 19, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-7     COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 150                   By:  Bivins

 1-8                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-9                                   AN ACT

1-10     relating to providing common undergraduate admission application

1-11     forms for certain institutions of higher education.

1-12           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-13           SECTION 1.  Chapter 51, Education Code, is amended by adding

1-14     Subchapter S to read as follows:

1-15                 SUBCHAPTER S.  ADMISSION APPLICATION FORMS

1-16           Sec. 51.761.  DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter, "board,"

1-17     "general academic teaching institution," "governing board,"

1-18     "institution of higher education," and "university system" have the

1-19     meanings assigned by Section 61.003 of this code.

1-20           Sec. 51.762.  COMMON ADMISSION APPLICATION FORMS.  (a)  The

1-21     board, with the assistance of an advisory committee composed of

1-22     representatives of general academic teaching institutions and with

1-23     the consultation of all affected general academic teaching

1-24     institutions, shall adopt by rule a common admission application

1-25     form for use by a person seeking admission as a freshman student to

1-26     a general academic teaching institution.  In addition to

1-27     information required to determine the residency status of the

1-28     applicant and information relating to the use of the form at each

1-29     institution, the board shall include on the form information that

1-30     the board considers appropriate.

1-31           (b)  The board, with the assistance of an advisory committee

1-32     composed of representatives of general academic teaching

1-33     institutions and with the consultation of all affected general

1-34     academic teaching institutions, may adopt by rule a common

1-35     admission application form for use by a person seeking admission as

1-36     an undergraduate transfer student to a general academic teaching

1-37     institution.  In addition to information required to determine the

1-38     residency status of the applicant and information relating to the

1-39     use of the form at each institution, the board shall include on the

1-40     form information that the board considers appropriate.

1-41           (c)  The board shall publicize the availability of a form

1-42     adopted under this section in both electronic and printed formats.

1-43           (d)  The board shall ensure that copies of the freshman

1-44     common admission application form and information for its use are

1-45     available for distribution to the appropriate personnel at each

1-46     public high school in this state.

1-47           (e)  The board shall make a form adopted under this section

1-48     available to the public electronically by the Internet or other

1-49     commonly used telecommunications media and may contract with an

1-50     institution of higher education or other provider to satisfy this

1-51     requirement.

1-52           (f)  An applicant may file, and each general academic

1-53     teaching institution shall accept, a freshman or undergraduate

1-54     transfer application using a form adopted under this section.  The

1-55     form used may be in either an electronic or printed format.  A

1-56     general academic teaching institution is not prohibited from

1-57     requiring an applicant to submit additional information within a

1-58     reasonable time after the institution has received an application

1-59     using a form adopted under this section.

1-60           (g)  In addition to other information considered appropriate

1-61     by the board, the board shall by rule require each institution to

1-62     collect information regarding gender, ethnicity, and date of birth

1-63     as part of the application process and report this information to

1-64     the board.

 2-1           Sec. 51.763.  ELECTRONIC ADMISSION APPLICATION FORM FOR

 2-2     UNIVERSITY SYSTEMS.  (a)  The governing board of a university

 2-3     system shall adopt a common admission application form consistent

 2-4     with this subchapter to be used by any person seeking freshman or

 2-5     undergraduate transfer admission to one or more of the general

 2-6     academic teaching institutions within the university system.

 2-7           (b)  The form shall allow each applicant to:

 2-8                 (1)  apply electronically to one or more of the general

 2-9     academic teaching institutions within the university system; and

2-10                 (2)  indicate preferences for admission between those

2-11     institutions.

2-12           (c)  A general academic teaching institution is not

2-13     prohibited from requiring an applicant to submit additional

2-14     information within a reasonable time after the institution has

2-15     received an application under this section.

2-16           Sec. 51.764.  FEES.  This subchapter does not affect the

2-17     authority of an institution of higher education to receive a

2-18     reasonable fee for the filing of an application for admission.

2-19           SECTION 2.  The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board

2-20     shall adopt a common freshman admission application form under

2-21     Section 51.762, Education Code, as added by this Act, no later than

2-22     September 1, 1998.  A general academic teaching institution must

2-23     accept freshman applications using the common admission application

2-24     form beginning with applicants for admission for the 1999-2000

2-25     academic year.  A university system must accept freshman and

2-26     undergraduate transfer applications using the electronic admission

2-27     application form beginning with applicants for admission for the

2-28     1999-2000 academic year.

2-29           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

2-30     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-31     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-32     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-33     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

2-34     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

2-35     passage, and it is so enacted.

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