By: Branch H.B. No. 4453

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the national research university fund and the allocation of amounts appropriated from the fund, the abolition of the higher education fund, and the institutional groupings established by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding Section 61.0904 to read as follows:

Sec. 61.0904. INSTITUTIONAL GROUPINGS. (a) In its accountability system, the board shall establish institutional groupings for classification of institutions of higher education, including a grouping for research universities, emerging research universities, doctoral universities, comprehensive universities, and masters universities.

(b) In each state fiscal biennium, the board shall conduct a review of the institutional groupings, including a review of the criteria for and definitions assigned to those groupings.

SECTION 2. The heading to Chapter 62, Education Code, is amended to read as follows:

CHAPTER 62. CONSTITUTIONAL AND STATUTORY [DIVISION OF

CONSTITUTIONALLY APPROPRIATED] FUNDS TO SUPPORT [AMONG CERTAIN]

INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION[; RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT FUND]

SECTION 3. Chapter 62, Education Code, is amended by adding Subchapter D to read as follows:

SUBCHAPTER D. NATIONAL RESEARCH UNIVERSITY FUND

Sec. 62.071. PURPOSE. The purpose of this subchapter is to allocate appropriations from the national research university fund to provide a dedicated, independent, and equitable source of funding to enable emerging research universities in this state to achieve national prominence as major research universities.

Sec. 62.072. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:

(1) "Coordinating board" means the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

(2) "Eligible institution" means a general academic teaching institution that is eligible to receive distributions of money under this subchapter.

(3) "Fund" means the national research university fund.

(4) "General academic teaching institution" has the meaning assigned by Section 61.003.

Sec. 62.073. ADMINISTRATION AND INVESTMENT OF FUND. (a) The national research university fund is a fund outside the state treasury in the custody of the comptroller.

(b) The comptroller shall administer and invest the fund in accordance with Section 20, Article VII, Texas Constitution.

Sec. 62.074. FUNDING. (a) The fund consists of any amounts appropriated or transferred to the credit of the fund under the Texas Constitution or otherwise appropriated or transferred to the credit of the fund under this section or another law.

(b) The comptroller shall deposit to the credit of the fund all interest, dividends, and other income earned from investment of the fund.

(c) The comptroller may accept gifts or grants from any public or private source for the fund.

Sec. 62.075. ELIGIBILITY TO RECEIVE DISTRIBUTIONS FROM FUND. (a) A general academic teaching institution is eligible to receive a distribution of money under this subchapter for each year of a state fiscal biennium if:

(1) the institution is designated as an emerging research university under the coordinating board's accountability system;

(2) in each of the two state fiscal years preceding the state fiscal biennium, the institution reported at least $45 million in restricted research expenditures;

(3) the aggregate value of the institution's endowment funds is at least $500 million; and

(4) the institution satisfies at least two of the following criteria:

(A) at least 200 doctor of philosophy degrees were awarded by the institution during each of the two academic years preceding the state fiscal biennium;

(B) the entering freshman class for each of those two academic years demonstrated high academic achievement, as determined according to standards prescribed by the coordinating board;

(C) designated as an American Research Library or has a Phi Beta Kappa chapter; and

(D) the faculty of the institution for each of those two academic years was of high quality, as determined according to coordinating board standards based on the professional achievement and recognition of the institution's faculty, including the election of faculty members to national academies.

(b) A general academic teaching institution that becomes eligible under Subsection (a) to receive a distribution of money under this subchapter remains eligible to receive a distribution of money under this subchapter in each subsequent state fiscal year.

Sec. 62.076. INELIGIBILITY OF INSTITUTIONS RECEIVING PERMANENT UNIVERSITY FUND SUPPORT AND MAINTENANCE. The University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M University, and Prairie View A&M University are ineligible to receive money under this subchapter.

Sec. 62.077. ALLOCATION OF APPROPRIATED FUNDS TO ELIGIBLE INSTITUTIONS. In each state fiscal year, the comptroller shall distribute to eligible institutions the total amount appropriated from the fund for that fiscal year. The amount allocated to the eligible institutions shall be based on an equitable formula adopted by the legislature to carry out the purposes of the fund as established by Section 20, Article VII, Texas Constitution. The coordinating board may make recommendations regarding the formula and provide such assistance as directed by the legislature.

Sec. 62.078. USE OF ALLOCATED AMOUNTS. (a) An eligible institution may use money received under this subchapter only for the support and maintenance of educational and general activities that promote increased research capacity at the institution.

(b) For purposes of Subsection (a), permitted activities include the use of the money to:

(1) provide faculty support and pay faculty salaries;

(2) purchase equipment or library materials;

(3) pay graduate stipends; and

(4) support research performed at the institution, including undergraduate research.

(c) Money received in a fiscal year by an institution under this subchapter that is not used in that fiscal year by the institution may be held and used by the institution in subsequent fiscal years for the purposes prescribed by this section.

Sec. 62.079. VERIFICATION OF FACTORS. (a) For purposes of this subchapter, the coordinating board shall prescribe standards and accounting methods for determining the value of the factors to establish the eligibility of an institution in a state fiscal year.

(b) The coordinating board, as soon as practicable in each even-numbered year no later than December 31, shall provide the legislature with verified information relating to the value of the factors to establish eligible institutions for the national research university fund under this subchapter.

(c) The coordinating board in consultation with the State Auditor's Office shall validate the appropriate measures of an eligible institution to verify the reported values of the factors for purposes of this subchapter.

SECTION 4. Section 62.094, Education Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 62.094. FUNDING. (a) The research development fund consists of the [amount deposited to the credit of the fund under Section 62.025 in each state fiscal year, the amount appropriated or transferred to the credit of the fund by the legislature under Subsection (b), and any other] amounts appropriated or transferred to the credit of the fund under this section or other law.

(b) [In each state fiscal year, the legislature may appropriate or provide for the transfer to the credit of the research development fund of an amount not less than the amount deposited to the credit of the fund under Section 62.025 in that fiscal year.

[(c)] The comptroller shall deposit all interest, dividends, and other income earned from investment of the research development fund to the credit of the fund.

(c) [(d)] The comptroller may accept gifts or grants from any public or private source for the research development fund.

SECTION 5. Sections 62.025 and 62.026, Education Code, are repealed.

SECTION 6. This Act takes effect January 1, 2010, but only if the constitutional amendment proposed by the 81st Legislature, Regular Session, 2009, establishing the national research university fund to enable emerging research universities in this state to achieve national prominence as major research universities and transferring the balance of the higher education fund to the national research university fund is approved by the voters. If that constitutional amendment is not approved by the voters, this Act does not take effect.