HBA-LJP S.B. 576 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisS.B. 576 By: West, Royce Higher Education 4/8/2001 Engrossed BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Laws pertaining to the University of North Texas System have been introduced piecemeal into legislation, and as a result the language of current law may not be uniform. In addition, the current University of North Texas System Center (center) at Dallas offers junior, senior, and graduate courses. However, to meet the needs of the diverse population of the city of Dallas, the center may eventually need to be established as a full undergraduate university. Senate Bill 576 establishes the University of North Texas at Dallas and restructures provisions relating to the University of North Texas System. 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. ANALYSIS Senate Bill 576 amends the Education Code to establish and to incorporate the University of North Texas at Dallas (UNTD) into the University of North Texas System (system) as an institution of higher education and component institution located in the city of Dallas on property designated by the board of regents of the system (board). The bill authorizes the board to accept gifts, grants, donations, acquire land for UNTD, and plan for the development of UNTD and the academic programs offered at UNTD. The bill also authorizes UNTD to operate as a general academic teaching institution with its own chief executive officer, administration, and faculty only after the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board certifies that the enrollment at the University of North Texas System Center at Dallas has reached the equivalent of 2,500 full-time students for one semester. Until then, the board may operate a system center of the University of North Texas in the city of Dallas (Secs. 105.001 and 105.451). The bill requires the board to appoint a chancellor who serves as chief executive officer of the system and to appoint a qualified president of each component institution of the system who serves as chief executive officer of the institution (Sec. 105.102). The bill authorizes the board to make joint appointments in the component institutions of the system, with the salary to be apportioned to the appointing institution on the basis of services rendered (Sec. 105.109). The bill sets forth and modifies the powers and duties of the board (Sec. 105.101). The bill authorizes the board to delegate to an employee of the system the authority to negotiate, execute, and approve a contract with the system (Sec. 105.108). The bill provides that the venue for a suit filed solely against the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth or its officers or employees is in Tarrant County and the venue for a suit filed solely against officers or employees of the University of North Texas at Dallas or the University of North Texas at Dallas is in Dallas County (Sec. 105.151). The bill sets forth provisions relating to police jurisdiction and delegation of municipal parking regulation authority that apply to all the component institutions of the system (Secs. 105.152 and 105.153). The bill authorizes the board to provide authorization for the establishment of a research park by one or more component institutions of the system. The bill also authorizes the administrator of the park to use private or public entities for scientific and technological research and development in the surrounding region (Sec. 105.110). If the board determines that a class with more than 30 students for each classroom teacher at the Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science (academy) would contribute to the educational development of the students in the class, then the bill authorizes the class size to exceed the pupil-teacher ratio limit (Sec. 105.303). The bill also provides that if a civil suit based on an action or omission by an employee of the academy in the course of the employee's employment is filed, then the employee's liability is limited to the liability of a public servant (Sec. 105.308). The bill repeals certain provisions relating to the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth and the University of North Texas (SECTION 1). EFFECTIVE DATE On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act takes effect September 1, 2001.