BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 746

By: Brown, Fred

Higher Education

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Currently, Texas lacks the classroom capacity to serve all citizens wishing to seek an advanced education. Classroom space is lacking at all levels of postsecondary education—whether collegiate, continuing, technical, or vocational. Many municipal and regional community colleges must either levy local taxes or undertake costly bond proposals in order to build enough classroom facilities to serve the educational demands of their respective communities. At the same time, large numbers of prospective college students are being denied admission to state universities, with lack of available classroom space often cited as a factor. Some of our largest and most prestigious universities are contributing to this shortfall by refusing to offer courses during evening or weekend hours.

H.B. 746 requires a public institution of higher education to make classrooms not scheduled for use between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. on one or more weekdays available free of charge for that day to another public institution of higher education on request for teaching core curriculum courses or continuing education courses.

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

H.B. 746 amends the Education Code to require a public institution of higher education to make classrooms not scheduled for use by the institution or by the institution's students, student organizations, or faculty between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. on one or more weekdays available for that day to another public institution of higher education on request for teaching core curriculum courses required of all undergraduate students for an academic undergraduate degree or for continuing education courses.  The bill prohibits an institution of higher education from imposing a charge on another institution of higher education for the use of a classroom under this provision.

EFFECTIVE DATE

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