SRC-JLB, TAG C.S.S.B. 86 78(R).BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research CenterC.S.S.B. 86
78R4273 JSA-DBy: Wentworth
Education
2/11/2003
Committee Report (Substituted)


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. C.S.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:

Sec.  51.803.  AUTOMATIC ADMISSION: ALL INSTITUTIONS.  Requires each
general academic teaching institution to admit as an undergraduate, an
applicant who in addition to the other requirements of this section,
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 who, if 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) applies beginning with admissions
for the 20072008 academic year.  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.  

Sec.  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. 

SUMMARY OF COMMITTEE CHANGES

SECTION 1.  Sec. 51.803(d) adds text providing that Subsection (a) (2)
applies beginning with admissions for the 2007-2008 academic year. 

SECTION 2.  Deletes Subsection (b) which provided that this Act applied
beginning with admission for the 2004-2005 academic year.