By Lewis of Orange H.B. No. 1297
76R5625 KEL-F
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to changing the names of Lamar University at Orange, Lamar
1-3 University at Port Arthur, and Lamar University Institute of
1-4 Technology.
1-5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-6 SECTION 1. Section 96.703, Education Code, is amended to
1-7 read as follows:
1-8 Sec. 96.703. LAMAR [UNIVERSITY] INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY.
1-9 (a) The board shall establish and maintain an educational center
1-10 of Lamar University as a separate degree-granting institution to be
1-11 known as Lamar [University] Institute of Technology.
1-12 (b) The primary purpose of the institute is to teach
1-13 technical and vocational courses and related supporting courses.
1-14 The board may confer degrees appropriate to the institute's
1-15 curriculum.
1-16 SECTION 2. Sections 96.704(a), (b), (c), and (e), Education
1-17 Code, are amended to read as follows:
1-18 (a) The board shall establish and maintain coeducational
1-19 lower-division institutions of higher education as separate
1-20 accredited degree-granting institutions in the counties of
1-21 Jefferson and Orange, to be known as Lamar State College
1-22 [University] at Port Arthur and Lamar State College [University] at
1-23 Orange, to teach only freshman- and sophomore-level courses.
1-24 (b) The board may acquire, construct, or otherwise make
2-1 provision for adequate physical facilities for use by Lamar State
2-2 College [University] at Port Arthur and Lamar State College
2-3 [University] at Orange and may accept and administer, on terms and
2-4 conditions satisfactory to the board, grants or gifts of money or
2-5 property tendered by any reason for the use and benefit of the
2-6 school.
2-7 (c) The board with approval of the Texas Higher Education
2-8 Coordinating Board may prescribe courses leading to customary
2-9 degrees. The board may make other rules and regulations for the
2-10 operation, control, and management of Lamar State College
2-11 [University] at Port Arthur and Lamar State College [University] at
2-12 Orange as are necessary for each institution to be a first-class
2-13 institution for freshman and sophomore students.
2-14 (e) For Lamar State College [University] at Port Arthur and
2-15 Lamar State College [University] at Orange, the board may expend
2-16 funds allocated to Lamar University under Chapter 62 for any of the
2-17 purposes listed in Section 17, Article VII, Texas Constitution, in
2-18 the same manner and under the same circumstances as expenditures
2-19 for those purposes for other separate degree-granting institutions.
2-20 SECTION 3. Sections 54.060(a), (e), and (g), Education Code,
2-21 are amended to read as follows:
2-22 (a) The nonresident tuition fee prescribed by this chapter
2-23 does not apply to a nonresident student who is a resident of
2-24 Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, or Oklahoma and who registers in a
2-25 public upper-level institution of higher education, Lamar State
2-26 College at Orange, Lamar State College at Port Arthur, Lamar
2-27 Institute of Technology, a [two-year institution in the Lamar
3-1 University System,] Texas public junior college, or a public
3-2 technical institute that is situated in a county immediately
3-3 adjacent to the state in which the nonresident student resides.
3-4 The nonresident tuition fee prescribed by this chapter does not
3-5 apply to a nonresident student who is a resident of New Mexico or
3-6 Oklahoma and who registers in a public technical institute that is
3-7 situated in a county that is within 100 miles of the state in which
3-8 the nonresident student resides and who is admitted for the purpose
3-9 of utilizing available instructional facilities. The nonresident
3-10 student described in this subsection shall pay an amount equivalent
3-11 to the amount charged a Texas student registered at a similar
3-12 school in the state in which the nonresident student resides. For
3-13 purposes of this subsection, "public upper-level institution of
3-14 higher education" means an institution of higher education that
3-15 offers only junior-level and senior-level courses or only
3-16 junior-level, senior-level, and graduate-level courses.
3-17 (e) The payment of resident tuition at Lamar State College
3-18 at Orange, Lamar State College at Port Arthur, Lamar Institute of
3-19 Technology, [a two-year institution in the Lamar University System]
3-20 or a public technical institute as authorized by Subsection (a) of
3-21 this section or at an institution of higher education as authorized
3-22 by Subsection (f) does not affect the constitutionally dedicated
3-23 funding to which institutions of higher education are entitled
3-24 under Article VII, Section 17, of the Texas Constitution.
3-25 (g) In this section, "public[:]
3-26 [(1) "Public] technical institute" has the meaning
3-27 assigned by Section 61.003 of this code.
4-1 [(2) "Two-year institution in the Lamar University
4-2 System" means:]
4-3 [(A) Lamar University at Orange;]
4-4 [(B) Lamar University at Port Arthur; or]
4-5 [(C) the Lamar University Institute of
4-6 Technology in Beaumont.]
4-7 SECTION 4. Section 55.1724(a), Education Code, is amended to
4-8 read as follows:
4-9 (a) In addition to the other authority granted by this
4-10 subchapter, the board of regents of the Texas State University
4-11 System may acquire, purchase, construct, improve, renovate,
4-12 enlarge, or equip property, buildings, structures, facilities,
4-13 roads, or related infrastructure for the following institutions to
4-14 be financed by the issuance of bonds in accordance with this
4-15 subchapter and in accordance with a systemwide revenue financing
4-16 program adopted by the board in aggregate principal amounts not to
4-17 exceed the following:
4-18 (1) Angelo State University, $20 million;
4-19 (2) Lamar University--Beaumont, $8 million;
4-20 (3) Lamar [University] Institute of Technology, $2
4-21 million;
4-22 (4) Lamar State College at [University--]Orange, $3.5
4-23 million;
4-24 (5) Lamar State College at [University--]Port Arthur,
4-25 $2.75 million;
4-26 (6) Sam Houston State University, $7.5 million;
4-27 (7) Southwest Texas State University, $19.7 million;
5-1 and
5-2 (8) Sul Ross State University, $17.5 million.
5-3 SECTION 5. Section 62.021(a), Education Code, is amended to
5-4 read as follows:
5-5 (a) Each fiscal year, an eligible institution is entitled to
5-6 receive an amount allocated in accordance with this section from
5-7 funds appropriated by Article VII, Section 17(a), of the
5-8 Constitution of Texas. The comptroller of public accounts shall
5-9 distribute funds allocated under this subsection only on
5-10 presentation of a claim and issuance of a warrant in accordance
5-11 with Section 403.071, Government Code. The comptroller may not
5-12 issue a warrant from any funds allocated under this subsection
5-13 before the delivery of goods or services described in Section 17,
5-14 Article VII, Texas Constitution, except for the payment of
5-15 principal or interest on bonds or notes. The allocation of funds
5-16 under this subsection is made in accordance with an equitable
5-17 formula consisting of the following elements: space deficit,
5-18 facilities condition, institutional complexity, separate
5-19 allocations for medical units and the Texas State Technical College
5-20 System, and an additional allocation for Texas Southern University
5-21 for compliance with the Texas Desegregation Plan. The amounts
5-22 allocated by the formula are as follows:
5-23 $ 5,572,558 Texas A&M University--Commerce and Texas A&M
5-24 University--Texarkana [East Texas State University
5-25 including East Texas State University at Texarkana];
5-26 $ 9,468,548 Lamar University including Lamar State College
5-27 [University] at Orange and Lamar State College
6-1 [University] at Port Arthur;
6-2 $ 2,862,203 Midwestern State University;
6-3 $20,217,740 University of North Texas;
6-4 $10,174,500 The University of Texas--Pan American and The
6-5 University of Texas at Brownsville;
6-6 $ 6,468,273 Stephen F. Austin State University;
6-7 $ 3,640,000 University of North Texas Health Science Center at
6-8 Fort Worth;
6-9 $23,181,556 Texas State University System Administration and the
6-10 following component institutions: Angelo State
6-11 University; Sam Houston State University; Southwest
6-12 Texas State University; Sul Ross State University
6-13 including Rio Grande College [Uvalde Center];
6-14 $ 8,199,288 Texas Southern University (includes allocation of
6-15 $1,000,000 for compliance with Texas Desegregation
6-16 Plan);
6-17 $16,887,085 Texas Tech University;
6-18 $ 7,735,000 Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center;
6-19 $ 6,849,160 Texas Woman's University;
6-20 $37,726,969 University of Houston System Administration and the
6-21 following component institutions: University of
6-22 Houston; University of Houston--Victoria; University
6-23 of Houston--Clear Lake; University of
6-24 Houston--Downtown;
6-25 $12,167,120 Texas A&M University--Corpus Christi; Texas A&M
6-26 International University; Texas A&M
6-27 University--Kingsville; West Texas A&M University;
7-1 and
7-2 $ 3,850,000 Texas State Technical College System Administration
7-3 and the following component campuses, but not its
7-4 extension centers or programs: Texas State Technical
7-5 College-Amarillo; Texas State Technical
7-6 College-Harlingen; Texas State Technical
7-7 College-Sweetwater; Texas State Technical
7-8 College--Waco.
7-9 SECTION 6. Section 54.060(h), Education Code, is repealed.
7-10 SECTION 7. The importance of this legislation and the
7-11 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
7-12 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
7-13 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
7-14 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
7-15 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
7-16 passage, and it is so enacted.