BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 1176

By: Jackson

Economic & Small Business Development

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

A career school or college is a business enterprise that offers or maintains a postsecondary course or courses of instruction or study and that may lead to an academic, professional, or vocational degree, certificate, or other recognized educational credential.  Interested parties have expressed concern that programs that teach yoga, children's acting classes, dog grooming, and teen modeling may be required to obtain a license as a career school because there is no clearly defined meaning for the term "postsecondary program" in provisions of law relating to career schools and colleges.  S.B. 1176 seeks to address the issue by establishing the definition of a postsecondary program in regard to non-baccalaureate career schools and colleges and specifying that a program of instruction in yoga or that trains persons to teach yoga is not considered a postsecondary program.

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. 1176 amends the Education Code to define "postsecondary program," as it relates to non-baccalaureate career schools and colleges, as a program that requires a student to have a high school diploma or high school equivalency certificate or requires that the person be beyond the age of compulsory education. The bill specifies that a program of instruction in yoga or a program that trains persons to teach yoga is not considered a postsecondary program.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2011.