1-1 By: Farrar (Senate Sponsor - Ellis) H.B. No. 2109 1-2 (In the Senate - Received from the House April 17, 2001; 1-3 April 18, 2001, read first time and referred to Committee on 1-4 Education; May 9, 2001, reported adversely, with favorable 1-5 Committee Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 8, Nays 0; 1-6 May 9, 2001, sent to printer.) 1-7 COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR H.B. No. 2109 By: Bivins 1-8 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-9 AN ACT 1-10 relating to exempting certain higher education students from the 1-11 TASP test based on the student's high school grade point average in 1-12 college preparatory courses. 1-13 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-14 SECTION 1. Section 51.306, Education Code, is amended by 1-15 adding Subsection (x) to read as follows: 1-16 (x) A person is exempt from this section if the person 1-17 graduates from a public high school or an accredited private high 1-18 school in any state with a grade point average of 3.5 or higher on 1-19 a 4.0 scale or the equivalent and completed the recommended or 1-20 advanced high school curriculum established under Section 28.002 or 1-21 28.025 or an equivalent or similar curriculum at an accredited 1-22 private high school or at a high school outside of this state. The 1-23 exemption is effective only for a student who enrolls in an 1-24 institution of higher education on or before the second anniversary 1-25 of the date the student graduated from high school. A student 1-26 enrolling for the first time in an institution of higher education 1-27 after the two-year period has elapsed must conform to all 1-28 applicable provisions of this section. The board by rule shall 1-29 establish standards for determining for purposes of this 1-30 subsection: 1-31 (1) whether a private high school is accredited; and 1-32 (2) whether a person completed a high school 1-33 curriculum at an accredited private high school or at a high school 1-34 outside of this state that is equivalent or similar to the 1-35 recommended or advanced high school curriculum established under 1-36 Section 28.002 or 28.025. 1-37 SECTION 2. Section 51.306(x), Education Code, as added by 1-38 this Act, applies only to a student entering an institution of 1-39 higher education on or after the effective date of this Act. 1-40 SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives 1-41 a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as 1-42 provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this 1-43 Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this 1-44 Act takes effect September 1, 2001. 1-45 * * * * *