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.