BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 101

By: Brown, Fred

Higher Education

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Currently, state law does not allow for state funding for semester credit hours earned by an undergraduate student who attempts more than 30 credit hours in excess of the number of courses required to complete the student's degree program.  However, in the Education Code, there are four specifically delineated exceptions to this restriction.

C.S.H.B. 101 creates an exception for credit hours earned by a student before graduating from high school and used to satisfy high school graduation requirements.  

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 101 amends the Education Code to provide that semester credit hours earned by a student before graduating from high school and used to satisfy high school graduation requirements do not count toward the cap on the number of semester credit hours earned by a student that may be included in an institution's formula funding from the state.

C.S.H.B. 101 makes its provisions applicable beginning with the formula funding recommendations made by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for the 2011-2012 academic year.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the act does not receive the necessary vote, the act takes effect September 1, 2009.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

C.S.H.B. 101 removes a provision in the original clarifying the specific credit for a remedial education course, technical course, workforce education course, or other non-degree program course that does not count toward the cap on the number of formula-funded semester credit hours that a student may earn.

C.S.H.B. 101 adds a provision not in the original to provide that semester credit hours earned by a student before graduating from high school and used to satisfy high school graduation requirements do not count toward the cap on the number of semester credit hours earned by a student that may be included in an institution's formula funding from the state.