BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 2480

By: Hochberg

Public Education

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Dual credit courses provide an important opportunity for high school students across Texas to earn college and high school credits simultaneously. Currently, a school district and a public junior college that wish to offer dual credit courses may enter into an agreement only if the school district is within the junior college district's service area. In certain cases the course offerings at the junior college with which a district must contract are not aligned with the school district's expectations or needs.

C.S.H.B. 2480 authorizes a public junior college to enter into an agreement with a school district, organization, or other person operating a high school for the purpose of offering dual credit 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

C.S.H.B. 2480 amends the Education Code to authorize a public junior college to enter into an agreement with a school district, organization, or other person that operates a high school to offer a course for joint high school and junior college credit regardless of whether the high school is located within the service area of the junior college district.

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. 2480 differs from the original by authorizing a public junior college to enter into an agreement with a school district, organization, or other person that operates a high school to offer a course for joint high school and junior college credit regardless of whether the high school is located within the junior college's service area, whereas the original authorizes a school district to enter into an agreement regarding courses for joint high school and junior college credit with any public junior college in the state notwithstanding any statutory requirement relating to junior college district service areas. The substitute also differs from the original by providing for immediate effect, contingent on the act's receiving the necessary two-thirds vote in each house, whereas the original provides an effective date of September 1, 2009.