75R13208 JSA-F By Bivins S.B. No. 1485 Substitute the following for S.B. No. 1485: By Rabuck C.S.S.B. No. 1485 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to state funding for and tuition charged to certain 1-3 undergraduate students who accumulate excessive credit hours and to 1-4 the number of credit hours required in a degree program. 1-5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-6 SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, is 1-7 amended by adding Section 61.0595 to read as follows: 1-8 Sec. 61.0595. FUNDING FOR CERTAIN EXCESS UNDERGRADUATE 1-9 CREDIT HOURS. (a) In the formulas established under Section 1-10 61.059, the board may not include funding for semester credit hours 1-11 attempted by a resident undergraduate student who before the 1-12 semester or other academic session begins has previously attempted 1-13 170 or more semester credit hours for courses taken at any 1-14 institution of higher education while classified as a resident 1-15 student for tuition purposes. 1-16 (b) Subsection (a) does not apply to a student enrolled in: 1-17 (1) two or more baccalaureate degree programs at the 1-18 same time; 1-19 (2) a double major degree program that requires 130 or 1-20 more semester credits for completion; or 1-21 (3) a health professional baccalaureate degree 1-22 program. 1-23 (c) For a student enrolled in a baccalaureate program under 1-24 Section 51.931, semester credit hours earned by the student 10 or 2-1 more years before the date the student begins the new degree 2-2 program under Section 51.931 are not counted for purposes of 2-3 determining whether the student has previously earned the number of 2-4 semester credit hours specified by Subsection (a). 2-5 (d) The following are not counted for purposes of 2-6 determining whether the student has previously earned the number of 2-7 semester credit hours specified by Subsection (a): 2-8 (1) semester credit hours earned by the student before 2-9 receiving a baccalaureate degree that has previously been awarded 2-10 to the student; 2-11 (2) semester credit hours earned by the student by 2-12 examination or under any other procedure by which credit is earned 2-13 without registering for a course for which tuition is charged; 2-14 (3) credit for a remedial education course or another 2-15 course that does not count toward a degree program at the 2-16 institution; and 2-17 (4) semester credit hours earned by the student at a 2-18 private institution or an out-of-state institution. 2-19 SECTION 2. Subchapter B, Chapter 54, Education Code, is 2-20 amended by adding Section 54.068 to read as follows: 2-21 Sec. 54.068. TUITION FOR EXCESSIVE UNDERGRADUATE HOURS. An 2-22 institution of higher education may charge a resident student 2-23 tuition at a higher rate than the rate charged to other resident 2-24 students, not to exceed the rate charged to nonresident students, 2-25 for a course for which Section 61.0595 requires the Texas Higher 2-26 Education Coordinating Board to exclude funding for the semester 2-27 credit hours for which the student registers if the student has 3-1 previously attempted 170 or more semester credit hours. 3-2 SECTION 3. Subchapter A, Chapter 54, Education Code, is 3-3 amended by adding Section 54.0065 to read as follows: 3-4 Sec. 54.0065. TUITION REBATE FOR CERTAIN UNDERGRADUATES. 3-5 (a) A qualified student is eligible for a rebate of a portion of 3-6 the undergraduate tuition the student has paid if the student: 3-7 (1) is awarded a baccalaureate degree from a general 3-8 academic teaching institution; and 3-9 (2) has attempted no more than six hours in excess of 3-10 the minimum number of semester credit hours required to complete 3-11 the degree, including transfer credits and course credit earned 3-12 exclusively by examination. 3-13 (b) The amount of tuition to be rebated to a student under 3-14 this section is $1,000, unless the total amount of undergraduate 3-15 tuition paid by the student to the institution of higher education 3-16 awarding the degree was less than $1,000, in which event the amount 3-17 of tuition to be rebated is an amount equal to the amount of 3-18 undergraduate tuition paid by the student to the institution. 3-19 However, a student who paid the institution awarding the degree an 3-20 amount of undergraduate tuition less than $1,000 may qualify for an 3-21 increase in the amount of the rebate, not to exceed a total rebate 3-22 of $1,000, for any amount of undergraduate tuition the student paid 3-23 to other institutions of higher education by providing the 3-24 institution with proof of the total amount of that tuition paid to 3-25 other institutions of higher education. 3-26 (c) A student who has transferred from another institution 3-27 of higher education shall provide the institution awarding the 4-1 degree an official transcript from each institution attended by the 4-2 student in order that the total number of hours attempted by the 4-3 student can be verified. 4-4 (d) To qualify for a rebate under this section, the student 4-5 must have been a resident of this state and entitled to pay tuition 4-6 at the rate provided by this chapter for a resident student at all 4-7 times while pursuing the degree. 4-8 (e) All institutions of higher education shall notify each 4-9 first-time freshman student of the tuition rebate program. 4-10 (f) The institution awarding the degree shall pay the rebate 4-11 under this section from local funds. 4-12 (g) The legislature shall account in the General 4-13 Appropriations Act for the rebates authorized by this section in a 4-14 way that provides a corresponding increase in the general revenue 4-15 funds appropriated to the institution. It is the intent of the 4-16 legislature that rebates authorized by this section shall be 4-17 financed by savings to the state resulting from reductions in the 4-18 number of courses taken by undergraduate students. 4-19 (h) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, in 4-20 consultation with the institutions of higher education, shall adopt 4-21 rules for the administration of this section. 4-22 SECTION 4. Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, is 4-23 amended by adding Section 61.0551 to read as follows: 4-24 Sec. 61.0551. CREDIT HOURS REQUIRED FOR DEGREE. (a) An 4-25 institution of higher education may not require a student to 4-26 complete more than 120 semester credit hours to complete a 4-27 baccalaureate degree program, except as otherwise provided by this 5-1 section. 5-2 (b) The board may permit an institution to require a student 5-3 to complete more than the number of semester credit hours permitted 5-4 by Subsection (a) to complete a baccalaureate degree program if the 5-5 institution establishes to the satisfaction of the board that the 5-6 requirement is reasonable considering the requirements for 5-7 comparable degree programs at other institutions, applicable 5-8 accreditation standards, professional trends and licensing 5-9 requirements in the field, and other relevant factors. The board 5-10 shall require an institution that receives approval of the semester 5-11 credit hour requirement for a degree program under this subsection 5-12 to reestablish the reasonableness of the requirement for that 5-13 degree program every five years. 5-14 (c) Subsection (a) does not prohibit a student from 5-15 completing more semester credit hours than required for the degree 5-16 program. 5-17 (d) Subsection (a) does not apply to a degree program in 5-18 existence on January 1, 1997, until September 1, 1999. On and 5-19 after that date, every baccalaureate degree program at an 5-20 institution of higher education must comply with this section. 5-21 SECTION 5. (a) This Act takes effect September 1, 1997. 5-22 (b) Section 54.068, Education Code, as added by this Act, 5-23 applies beginning with tuition charged for the 1997 fall semester. 5-24 (c) Section 54.0065, Education Code, as added by this Act, 5-25 applies only to students entering a baccalaureate degree program on 5-26 or after September 1, 1997. 5-27 (d) Section 61.0595, Education Code, as added by this Act, 6-1 applies to funding beginning with the 1997 fall semester. 6-2 SECTION 6. 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.