BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Research Center S.B. 1342
AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
Current law does not address a tuition and fee exemption for junior college employees. Junior college district employees must pay tuition and fees for courses they wish to take within the junior college district. This legislation gives the governing board of a junior college district the authority to exempt its employees from paying tuition and fees for courses taken within its district. It also requires the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) to replenish the revenue that is lost from these employee tuition and fee exemptions.
As proposed, S.B. 1342 authorizes a junior college district to exempt its employees from payment of certain tuition and fees. The bill requires THECB to include in the formulas funding to cover lost revenues for such exemptions.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Subchapter E, Chapter 130, Education Code, by adding Section 130.0851, as follows:
Sec. 130.0851. TUITION EXEMPTION FOR DISTRICT EMPLOYEES. (a) Authorizes the governing board of a junior college district to exempt a district employee who enrolls in courses offered by the district from the payment of all or part of the tuition or fees charged to a student at a junior college by the district.
(b) Requires the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to include in the formulas established under by Section 61.059 (Appropriations) funding in amounts sufficient to cover a junior college district's revenue loss from a tuition or fee exemption the district grants under Subsection (a).
SECTION 2. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2009.