Honorable Florence Shapiro, Chair, Senate Committee on Education
FROM:
John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
SB1051 by Zaffirini (relating to course requirements for students enrolled in joint degree programs between certain general academic teaching institutions and foreign universities. ), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
Under provisions of the bill, the governing board of a general academic teaching institution that offers a joint baccalaureate degree program under a contract with a foreign college or university may exempt a student enrolled in the joint degree program from the course of instruction in government or political science which includes consideration of the Constitution of the United States and the constitutions of the states, with special emphasis on that of Texas, if they were enrolled in the foreign college or university before enrolling in the joint degree program or is otherwise considered to be primarily a student of the foreign college or university and successfully completes the American Way course as described in the bill. The American Way course could also be used to satisfy the course requirements of American History and Texas History courses. The bill also provides that the governing board of a general academic teaching institution that offers a joint baccalaureate degree program under a contract with a foreign college or university may, in consultation with the foreign college or university, identify and approve courses offered by the foreign college or university that are equivalent to, and may substitute for, courses in the core curriculum of a student enrolled in the joint degree program who is considered to be primarily a student of the general academic teaching institution. The general academic institutions that offer these joint degree programs would implement provisions of the bill within existing resources.
Local Government Impact
No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.
Source Agencies:
781 Higher Education Coordinating Board, 720 The University of Texas System Administration, 783 University of Houston System Administration