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79R6793 CAS-D

By:  King of Zavala                                               H.B. No. 2288



A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the award of graduate, postgraduate, or professional 
degree program course credit by public institutions of higher 
education to certain school district employees.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:                        
	SECTION 1.  Subchapter Z, Chapter 51, Education Code, is 
amended by adding Section 51.9315 to read as follows:
	Sec. 51.9315.  APPLICATION OF PREVIOUSLY EARNED COURSE 
CREDIT TOWARD ADVANCED DEGREE.  (a)  In this section, "educator" has 
the meaning assigned by Section 5.001.
	(b)  An educator who is admitted to a graduate, postgraduate, 
or professional degree program at an institution of higher 
education, as defined by Section 61.003, is entitled to be awarded 
toward the degree requirements for that program course credit for 
graduate, postgraduate, or professional program course work that 
the educator successfully completed at an accredited public or 
private institution of higher education at any time before 
enrollment in the program if:
		(1)  the educator applies for the credit to be awarded 
by the institution in the manner prescribed by the institution; and
		(2)  under the program's applicable course credit 
policies, the educator would have been awarded credit for the 
course work had the educator completed the course work after 
enrollment in the program.
	(c)  Each institution of higher education to which 
Subsection (b) applies shall adopt a procedure to be used by an 
educator in applying for course credit under this section.
	SECTION 2.  (a)  Except as provided by Subsection (b) of 
this section, the change in law made by this Act applies beginning 
with the 2006 spring semester.
	(b)  Each public institution of higher education that offers 
a graduate, postgraduate, or professional degree program shall 
adopt the procedure required by Section 51.9315(c), Education Code, 
as added by this Act, not later than December 31, 2005, to be 
effective for the 2006 spring semester.
	SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives 
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as 
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this 
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this 
Act takes effect September 1, 2005.