SRC-JLB S.B. 337 78(R)   BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research Center   S.B. 337
78R2334 JSA-DBy: Shapleigh
Higher Education Subcommittee
3/19/2003
As Filed


DIGEST AND PURPOSE 

Currently, Texas does not have a central clearinghouse that provides a
simple, yet comprehensive "profile" of all of the state's higher education
institutions.  Therefore, students and parents who seek indicators of the
quality of education provided at public universities in Texas must compile
the information from a variety of sources.  As proposed, S.B. 337 requires
the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to create and post a report
on their Internet site, listing all public universities in the state and
their corresponding performance on each of 17 measures. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to
a state officer, institution, or agency. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Chapter 61C, Education Code, by adding Section 61.0902,
as follows: 

Sec.  61.0902.  PUBLICATION OF PERFORMANCE DATA OF GENERAL ACADEMIC
TEACHING INSTITUTIONS.  (a) Requires the Texas Higher Education
Coordinating Board (THECB) to administer a program to publish performance
data provided to THECB by general academic teaching institutions under
this section. 

(b) Requires each general academic teaching institution, not later than
the next November 1 following the completion of an academic year, to
provide to THECB one or more reports containing certain data, including
the qualifications of the entering freshman class for the academic year
and student performance and institution efficiency. 

(c) Requires THECB each year to publish and post in a grid format on
THECB's Internet site the names of the general academic teaching
institutions, the performance data required by Subsection (b) for the
most recent academic year for which the data is available, and any other
information considered appropriate by THECB.  Requires THECB to use the
classification system developed by the Carnegie Foundation in publishing
and posting the data and other information. 

(d) Requires each general academic teaching institution to provide a link
on the institution's Internet home page to THECB's Internet site described
by Subsection (c). 

(e) Provides that a general academic teaching institution is not required
to report to THECB the data required by Subsection (b) if the data is
available to THECB from another source. 

SECTION 2.  Effective date:  September 1, 2003.

SECTION 3.  (a)  Requires each general academic teaching institution to
provide the performance data  as required by Section 61.0902, Education
Code, as added by this Act, beginning with data for the 2003-2004 academic
year. 

(b) Requires the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, not later than
March 1, 2005, to publish and post on THECB's Internet site the
performance data provided by the general academic teaching institutions in
this state as required by Section 61.0902, Education Code, as added by
this Act.