By Sibley                                        S.B. No. 296

      75R2868 JSA-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to providing a uniform undergraduate admission application

 1-3     form for four-year public institutions of higher education.

 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, is

 1-6     amended by adding Section 61.080 to read as follows:

 1-7           Sec. 61.080.  UNIFORM UNDERGRADUATE ADMISSION APPLICATION

 1-8     FORM.  (a)  The board by rule shall adopt a uniform admission

 1-9     application form for use by a person seeking admission as an

1-10     undergraduate student to a general academic teaching institution.

1-11     The board shall include on the form information relating to the use

1-12     of the form at each general academic teaching institution, such as

1-13     application filing deadlines, application fees, and additional

1-14     information required by particular institutions, that the board

1-15     considers appropriate.

1-16           (b)  Before adopting a form or a revision to a form under

1-17     this section, the coordinating board shall consult with a

1-18     representative of each general academic teaching institution

1-19     assigned by the institution to advise the board under this section.

1-20           (c)  The board shall publicize the availability of the form

1-21     and shall ensure that copies of the form and information for its

1-22     use are distributed to the appropriate personnel at each public

1-23     high school in this state.

1-24           (d)  The board shall make the form available to the public

 2-1     electronically by the Internet or other commonly used

 2-2     telecommunications medium.

 2-3           (e)  Each general academic teaching institution shall accept

 2-4     an undergraduate application using the form adopted under this

 2-5     section.  An applicant may use a legible photocopy of the form or a

 2-6     copy of the form produced from the electronic version available

 2-7     under Subsection (d).  A general academic teaching institution is

 2-8     not prohibited from adopting and using its own undergraduate

 2-9     admission application form or from requiring an applicant to submit

2-10     additional information within a reasonable time after submitting an

2-11     application using the uniform admission application form.

2-12           SECTION 2.  The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board

2-13     shall adopt a uniform undergraduate admission application form

2-14     under Section 61.080, Education Code, as added by this Act, not

2-15     later than January 1, 1998.  A general academic teaching

2-16     institution must accept undergraduate applications using the

2-17     uniform admission application form beginning with applicants for

2-18     admission for the 1998-1999 academic year.

2-19           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

2-20     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-21     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-22     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-23     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

2-24     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

2-25     passage, and it is so enacted.