HBA-NLM, MPM C.S.S.B. 510 76(R)BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.S.B. 510 By: Shapleigh Public Education 5/19/1999 Committee Report (Substituted) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The 75th Texas Legislature passed legislation which mandates that public institutions of higher education provide automatic undergraduate admission to students who graduate in the top ten percent of their high school class. Those students who do not qualify for automatic admission may be considered under other criteria, such as their academic record, socioeconomic status, and family background. Not all students are aware that they may be considered for automatic admission to an institution of higher education based on this other criteria. C.S.S.B. 510 requires the board of trustees of a school district to require each high school in that district to post appropriate signs in each counselor's office, each principal's office, and each administrative office at the school regarding the automatic college admission law. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Subchapter B, Chapter 28, Education Code, by adding Section 28.026, as follows: Sec. 28.026. NOTICE OF AUTOMATIC COLLEGE ADMISSION. Requires the board of trustees of a school district to require each high school in the district to post appropriate signs in each counselor's office, principal's office, and administrative office indicating the substance of Section 51.803 (Automatic Admission: All Institutions), Education Code, regarding automatic college admission. Requires the school district, in order to assist in the dissemination of this information, to require certain high school personnel be provided with certain information as well as to require them to explain this information to eligible students, and to provide each eligible senior student under Section 51.803 with written notification of the student's eligibility with a detailed explanation of the substance of Section 51.803 at the commencement of a class's senior year. (Section 51.803 requires each general academic teaching institution to admit an applicant for admission to the institution as an undergraduate student if the applicant graduated in one of the two school years preceding the academic year for which the applicant is applying for admission from a public or private high school in this state accredited by a generally recognized accrediting organization with a grade point average in the top 10 percent of the student's high school graduating class. The section further sets forth qualification criteria for an applicant, the procedure by which the applicant is considered by the institution, and certain enrichment courses and orientation programs the applicant may be required to complete.) SECTION 2. Makes this Act applicable beginning with the 1999-2000 school year. SECTION 3.Emergency clause. Effective date: upon passage. COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE The substitute modifies the original in SECTION 1 (proposed Section 28.026, Education Code) by requiring the board of trustees of a school district to require each high school in the district to post in each principal's office, as well as in each counselor's office and in each administrative building, appropriate signs indicating the substance of Section 51.803 (Automatic Admission: All Institutions), Education Code, regarding automatic college admission.