BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.S.B. 176

By: Huffman

Higher Education

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Currently, Section 54.0065 (Tuition Rebate For Certain Undergraduates), Education Code provides that a student is eligible for a tuition rebate upon receiving a bachelor's degree if the student graduates in a timely manner and attempted no more than three credit hours in excess of the minimum number required to complete the degree program. This rebate program is an incentive for students to finish their degree in four years.

However, many high school students take dual credit classes to help satisfy high school graduation requirements and to get a head start on core college courses. Dual credit hours earned by a student in high school can disqualify a student from being eligible for the tuition rebate.

C.S.S.B. 176 amends current law relating to student eligibility for tuition rebates offered by general academic teaching institutions.

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

SECTION 1. Amends Section 54.0065(a), Education Code, to provide that a qualified student is eligible for a rebate of a portion of the undergraduate tuition the student has paid if the student has met certain conditions, excluding course credit, other than course credit earned exclusively by examination, that is earned before graduating from high school.

SECTION 2. Makes application of this Act prospective.

SECTION 3. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2011.

EFFECTIVE DATE

Upon passage, or, if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act takes effect September 1, 2011.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE

C.S.S.B. 176 provides that a qualified student is eligible for a rebate of a portion of the undergraduate tuition the student has paid if the student has met certain conditions, excluding course credit, other than course credit earned exclusively by examination, that is earned before graduating from high school; rather than credit earned exclusively by examination, that is earned before graduating from high school and used to satisfy high school graduation requirements.