| |
| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to excess undergraduate credit hours at public |
|
|
institutions of higher education. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Section 51.907, Education Code, is amended by |
|
|
amending Subsections (a) and (c) and adding Subsections (g) and (h) |
|
|
to read as follows: |
|
|
(a) In this section, "general academic teaching |
|
|
institution," "governing board," [and] "institution of higher |
|
|
education," and "public junior college" have the meanings assigned |
|
|
by Section 61.003. |
|
|
(c) Except as provided under rules adopted under Subsection |
|
|
(d) or by Subsection (g), an institution of higher education may not |
|
|
permit a student to drop more than six courses, including any course |
|
|
a transfer student has dropped at another institution of higher |
|
|
education, under circumstances described by Subsection (b). |
|
|
(g) In determining the number of courses dropped by a |
|
|
student for purposes of this section, a general academic teaching |
|
|
institution may not count a course dropped by a student enrolled in |
|
|
the institution if: |
|
|
(1) the student dropped the course while enrolled in a |
|
|
public junior college; and |
|
|
(2) the student transferred to the general academic |
|
|
teaching institution after earning from another institution of |
|
|
higher education: |
|
|
(A) at least 30 semester credit hours; or |
|
|
(B) an associate degree. |
|
|
(h) An institution of higher education shall provide |
|
|
written notice to each undergraduate student of the provisions of |
|
|
this section before the end of the first semester in which the |
|
|
student is enrolled in the institution. |
|
|
SECTION 2. Section 61.0595(d), Education Code, is amended |
|
|
to read as follows: |
|
|
(d) The following are not counted for purposes of |
|
|
determining whether the student has previously earned the number of |
|
|
semester credit hours specified by Subsection (a): |
|
|
(1) semester credit hours earned by the student before |
|
|
receiving an associate or [a] baccalaureate degree that has |
|
|
previously been awarded to the student; |
|
|
(2) semester credit hours earned by the student by |
|
|
examination or under any other procedure by which credit is earned |
|
|
without registering for a course for which tuition is charged; |
|
|
(3) credit for a remedial education course, a |
|
|
technical course, a workforce education course funded according to |
|
|
contact hours, or another course that does not count toward a degree |
|
|
program at the institution; |
|
|
(4) semester credit hours earned by the student at a |
|
|
private institution or an out-of-state institution; and |
|
|
(5) semester credit hours earned by the student before |
|
|
graduating from high school and used to satisfy high school |
|
|
graduation requirements. |
|
|
SECTION 3. The change in law made by this Act to Section |
|
|
61.0595, Education Code, applies beginning with the funding |
|
|
recommendations made under Section 61.059, Education Code, for the |
|
|
2013-2014 academic year. |
|
|
SECTION 4. The change in law made by this Act to Section |
|
|
51.907, Education Code, applies beginning with the fall 2011 |
|
|
semester. |
|
|
SECTION 5. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
|
|
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
|
|
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
|
|
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
|
|
Act takes effect September 1, 2011. |