SRC-JLB, TAG S.B. 86 78(R) BILL ANALYSIS Senate Research Center S.B. 86 78R1049 JSA-DBy: Wentworth Education 1/30/2003 As Filed DIGEST AND PURPOSE Currently, the top ten percent of each high school graduating class receives automatic admission to a public college or university. There is no requirement, however, that those high school graduates take the recommended high school curriculum, which would better prepare them for success in college. As proposed, S.B. 86 would require high school students to take, at a minimum, the recommended high school curriculum to be eligible for automatic admission to a public college or university. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY Rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in SECTION 1 (Section 51.807, Education Code) of this bill. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Sections 51.803 and 51.807, Education Code, as follows: Section 51.803. AUTOMATIC ADMISSION: ALL INSTITUTIONS. Requires each general academic teaching institution to admit as undergraduates applicants who, in addition to the other requirements of this section, have completed the curriculum requirements established under Section 28.025 (High School Diploma and Certificate; Academic Achievement Record) for the recommended or advanced high school program or an equivalent curriculum at a high school to which that section does not apply, and the applicant graduated from a high school operated by the United States Department of Defense, is a Texas resident under Section 54.052 or is entitled to pay tuition fees at the rate provided for Texas residents under Section 54.058(d) for the term or semester to which admitted. Deletes language regarding an application for admission under this section. (b) Requires an applicant to submit an application before the expiration of any application filing deadline established by the institution, in order to qualify for admission under this section. (c) Reletters existing Subsection (b) as Subsection (c). (d) Provides that Subsection (a) (2) does not apply to an applicant who graduated from a public high school that does not offer the curriculum established under Section 28.025 for the recommended or advanced high school program and that has received a waiver of those curriculum requirements from the Texas Education Agency due to an inability to offer or make available that curriculum. Section 51.807. RULEMAKING. (a) Creates this subsection from existing text. (b) Requires the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, after consulting with the Texas Education Agency, by rule to establish standards for making certain determinations for purposes of this subchapter. SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 2003. (b) Provides that the change in law made by this Act applies beginning with admissions for the 2004-2005 academic year.