LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                              Austin, Texas
                                     
                    FISCAL NOTE, 77th Regular Session
  
                             February 5, 2001
  
  
          TO:  Honorable Teel Bivins, Chair, Senate Committee on
               Education
  
        FROM:  John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
  
       IN RE:  SB210  by Bivins (Relating to eligibility under the Early
               High School Graduation Scholarship program.), As
               Introduced
  
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*  No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.        *
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The bill adds the completion of the recommended or advanced high school
program to eligibility requirements for the Early High School Graduation
Scholarship Program for students graduating or becoming eligible to
graduate on or after September 1, 2001.

According to the Texas Education Agency, the proportion of students
graduating under the more rigorous recommended or advanced programs is
increasing rapidly each year.  The Higher Education Coordinating Board
is currently advocating making completion of the recommended high school
program an admissions requirement to attend four-year institutions,
which would likely accelerate this trend.  Because the program currently
has no time limit for receipt of a scholarship and because the bill
grandfathers all early graduates eligible prior to September 1, 2001,
the eligible recipient pool would remain large enough to sustain demand
for the program at current expenditure levels.
  
Local Government Impact
  
No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.
  
  
Source Agencies:   781   Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, 701
                   Texas Education Agency
LBB Staff:         JK, CT, KC