BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 419

By: West

Public Education

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

High school students are currently allowed to take a wide range of academic and non-academic college courses for dual credit. According to interested parties, in a recent fiscal year, nearly 2,000 Texas high school students received both high school and college credit for certain physical education courses. Physical education courses are not included as part of the required core curriculum for colleges outlined by Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board rules, so not every public junior college requires completion of such a course to earn an associate degree. S.B. 419 seeks to prohibit state funding to public junior colleges for physical education courses offered for joint high school and junior college credit.

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

S.B. 419 amends the Education Code to exclude from the contact hours used to determine a public junior college's proportionate share of the state money appropriated and distributed to public junior colleges the contact hours attributable to the enrollment of a high school student in a course offered for joint high school and junior college credit for which the student may receive credit toward the physical education curriculum requirement. The bill makes its provisions applicable beginning with funding for the 2011 fall semester.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2011.