C.S.H.B. 415 78(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


C.S.H.B. 415
By: Flores
Higher Education
Committee Report (Substituted)



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Concurrent enrollment programs, under Section 130.008 of the Education
Code, have successfully given all high school students opportunities to
gain college credit before graduating. Misinterpretations of Subsection
(d) under this section have prevented students from enrolling and earning
dual credit for Career and Technology classes and classes in schools which
operate under "block scheduling" 

CSHB 415 would repeal this subsection, removing the disincentive for
school districts to offer the concurrent enrollment programs.  In
addition, it adds a subsection to require a student to be considered a
full-time student in average daily attendance.  This change is to provide
for a continuation of current practice to eliminate the start-up fiscal
cost of the bill until offsetting savings are present to balance any cost. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any
additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or
institution. 

ANALYSIS

CSHB 415 repeals Section 130.008(d), Education Code, which provides that
when state funding is provided to both a school district and a public
junior college for a student enrolled in courses offered by a junior
college for joint credit, the commissioner of education and the
commissioner of higher education shall jointly develop a mechanism to
identify and eliminate duplication of state funding. 

CSHB 415 amends Section 42.005, Education Code, by adding Subsection (g)
to provide that if a student may receive course credit toward the
student's high school academic requirements and toward the student's
higher education academic requirements, for a single course, the time
during which the student attends the course may not be counted as part of
the minimum number of institutional hours required for a student to be
considered a full-time student in average daily attendance for purposes of
this section. 

EFFECTIVE DATE

This Act takes effect September 1, 2003.


COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE

CSHB 415 modifies the original by adding Section 42.005(g), Education
Code, to provide that if a student may receive joint high school and
college credit, for a single course, the time during which the student
attends the course may not be counted as part of the minimum number of
institutional hours required for a student to be considered a full-time
student in average daily attendance.