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                                  * * * * *