BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Research Center C.S.S.B. 1603
Committee Report (Substituted)
AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
The importance of research in our society cannot be underestimated. Legislators, business people, and educators all make decisions based on research, which means that research findings have an enormous impact on communities. As a result, we must ensure that research is reliable.
Many Texas institutions of higher education perform scientific and social research and publish reports of research results. Funding for such reports can come from a variety of sources, such as private corporations, government agencies, and nonprofit agencies. To maintain the integrity of these research reports, we must address the potential conflict of interest that can arise from this funding relationship. Further, since research performed by institutions of higher education often carries with it a certain level of credibility, we must ensure that any funding relationship is fully disclosed to avoid any appearance of impropriety.
C.S.S.B. 1603 amends current law relating to requiring financial disclosure concerning reports prepared by public institutions of higher education for other entities.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
Rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in SECTION 1 (Section 51.955, Education Code) of this bill.
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Subchapter Z, Chapter 51, Education Code, by adding Section 51.955, as follows:
Sec. 51.955. REQUIRED DISCLOSURE OF PAYMENT FOR REPORTS. (a) Requires an institution of higher education, as defined by Section 61.003, that receives payment from another entity to conduct research, analysis, a survey, or other academic, scientific, or technical work and prepare a report of that work, not later than December 1 of each year, to report to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) the following information: a statement that the institution received payment to conduct the work and prepare the report, the identity of the entity providing the payment, and the amount of the payment.
(b) Requires THECB to make the information provided by an institution of higher education in the institution's annual report available to the public on THECB's Internet website. Requires THECB by rule to establish criteria for excluding information from the website that relates to an issue of national security, and prohibits THECB from making that information available to the public on the website.
SECTION 2. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2009.