SRC-VRA, MSY S.B. 1292 78(R)   BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research Center   S.B. 1292
78R8480 JSA-FBy: Ratliff/Hinojosa
Subcommittee on Higher Education
5/5/2003
As Filed


DIGEST AND PURPOSE 

Under current Texas law, all parts of the state are covered by one of the
state's community college district service areas so that the entire state
has access to community college services. However, an area that is outside
of a community college's taxing district but inside the community
college's service area has access to the college but does not pay taxes to
support the college.  As proposed, S.B. 1292 allows a community college
district to hold an election to extend the district's boundaries to
include all or part of the district's service area, and sets forth the
procedures for such an election.  The bill specifies that if such an
election fails, another similar election cannot be held for five years. 

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 130D, Education Code, by adding Section
130.0661, as follows: 

Sec.  130.0661.  EXTENDING BOUNDARIES OF JUNIOR COLLEGE DISTRICT IN
DISTRICT'S SERVICE AREA.  (a)  Authorizes the governing body of a junior
college district to order an election on the question of establishing
expanded boundaries for the junior college district to encompass all or
part of the territory located within the district's service area
established by Subchapter J. 

(b)  Requires the election to be held in the combined territory of the
junior college district and any territory to be added.  Requires the order
to describe the territory to be added and set a date for the election. 

(c)  Requires the ballot to be printed to provide for voting for or
against the proposition contained in specified text. 

(d)  Provides that the proposition is adopted if approved by a majority of
the votes cast at the election. 

(e)  Requires the governing body of the junior college district to enter
an order stating that the new boundaries are established for the district
for junior college purposes, if the proposition is adopted.  Requires the
governing body to assign any new territory to one or more single-member
districts and make any other appropriate changes to those districts before
the next election for members of the governing body, if the governing body
is elected from single-member districts. 

(f)  Provides that the addition of territory to a junior college district
under this section and any resulting change in the single-member districts
from which members of the governing body are elected does not affect the
term of a member of the governing body serving on the date the addition or
redistricting takes effect. 

(g)  Prohibits a junior college district from adopting new boundaries for
the  district under this section that extend within the service area of
another junior college district. 

(h)  Prohibits another election to extend the boundaries of a junior
college district from being held under this section earlier that the fifth
anniversary of the date of the election of the proposition to establish
new boundaries for the same junior college district, if the proposition is
not adopted at the election. 

SECTION 2.  Effective date:  upon passage or September 1, 2003.