82R12074 KKA-D
 
  By: Pitts H.B. No. 3639
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to state fiscal matters related to public and higher
  education.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
  ARTICLE 1.  REDUCTION OF EXPENDITURES AND IMPOSITION OF CHARGES
  GENERALLY
         SECTION 1.01.  This article applies to any state agency,
  school, institution of higher education, or other entity that
  receives an appropriation under Article III of the General
  Appropriations Act.
         SECTION 1.02.  Notwithstanding any other statute of this
  state, each entity to which this article applies is authorized to
  reduce or recover expenditures by:
               (1)  consolidating any reports or publications the
  entity is required to make and filing or delivering any of those
  reports or publications exclusively by electronic means;
               (2)  extending the effective period of any license,
  permit, or registration the entity grants or administers;
               (3)  entering into a contract with another governmental
  entity or with a private vendor to carry out any of the entity's
  duties;
               (4)  adopting additional eligibility requirements for
  persons who receive benefits under any law the entity administers
  to ensure that those benefits are received by the most deserving
  persons consistent with the purposes for which the benefits are
  provided;
               (5)  providing that any communication between the
  entity and another person and any document required to be delivered
  to or by the entity, including any application, notice, billing
  statement, receipt, or certificate, may be made or delivered by
  e-mail or through the Internet; and
               (6)  adopting and collecting fees or charges to cover
  any costs the entity incurs in performing its lawful functions.
  ARTICLE 2.  FISCAL MATTERS CONCERNING RETIRED TEACHERS
         SECTION 2.01.  Section 825.404(a), Government Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         (a)  During each fiscal year, the state shall contribute to
  the retirement system an amount equal to at least six and not more
  than 10 percent of the aggregate annual compensation of all members
  of the retirement system during that fiscal year.  [The amount of
  the state contribution made under this section may not be less than
  the amount contributed by members during that fiscal year in
  accordance with Section 825.402.]
         SECTION 2.02.  Section 1575.202(a), Insurance Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         (a)  Each state fiscal year, the state shall contribute to
  the fund an amount equal to 0.5 [one] percent of the salary of each
  active employee.
         SECTION 2.03.  The changes in law made by this article apply
  beginning with the state fiscal year that begins September 1, 2011.
  ARTICLE 3.  FISCAL MATTERS CONCERNING STATE REVENUE FOR SCHOOL
  DISTRICTS
         SECTION 3.01.  Section 42.2516, Education Code, is amended
  by amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (b-2) to read as
  follows:
         (b)  Notwithstanding any other provision of this title, but
  subject to the limit imposed by Subsection (b-2), a school district
  that imposes a maintenance and operations tax at a rate at least
  equal to the product of the state compression percentage multiplied
  by the maintenance and operations tax rate adopted by the district
  for the 2005 tax year is entitled to at least the amount of state
  revenue necessary to provide the district with the sum of:
               (1)  as calculated under Subsection (e), the amount of
  state and local revenue per student in weighted average daily
  attendance for maintenance and operations that the district would
  have received during the 2009-2010 school year under Chapter 41 and
  this chapter, as those chapters existed on January 1, 2009, at a
  maintenance and operations tax rate equal to the product of the
  state compression percentage for that year multiplied by the
  maintenance and operations tax rate adopted by the district for the
  2005 tax year;
               (2)  an amount equal to the product of $120 multiplied
  by the number of students in weighted average daily attendance in
  the district;
               (3)  an amount equal to the amount the district is
  required to pay into the tax increment fund for a reinvestment zone
  under Section 311.013(n), Tax Code, in the current tax year; and
               (4)  any amount to which the district is entitled under
  Section 42.106.
         (b-2)  Notwithstanding any other provision of this section,
  the amount of state revenue to which a school district is entitled
  under Subsection (b) may not exceed the amount necessary to result
  in a total amount of state and local revenue per student in weighted
  average daily attendance of $8,000.
  ARTICLE 4.  FISCAL MATTERS CONCERNING ADVANCED PLACEMENT
         SECTION 4.01.  Section 28.053(h), Education Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         (h)  The commissioner may enter into agreements with the
  college board and the International Baccalaureate Organization to
  pay for all examinations taken by eligible public school students.
  An eligible student is a student [one] who:
               (1)  takes a college advanced placement or
  international baccalaureate course at a public school or who is
  recommended by the student's principal or teacher to take the test;
  and
               (2)  demonstrates financial need as determined in
  accordance with guidelines adopted by the board that are consistent
  with the definition of financial need adopted by the college board
  or the International Baccalaureate Organization.
  ARTICLE 5.  FISCAL MATTERS CONCERNING EARLY HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION
         SECTION 5.01.  Subchapter K, Chapter 56, Education Code, is
  amended by adding Section 56.2012 to read as follows:
         Sec. 56.2012.  EXPIRATION OF SUBCHAPTER; ELIGIBILITY
  CLOSED. (a)  This subchapter expires September 1, 2017.
         (b)  Notwithstanding Section 56.203, a person may not
  receive an award under this subchapter if the person graduates from
  high school on or after September 1, 2011.
         SECTION 5.02.  Section 54.213(b), Education Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         (b)  [Savings to the foundation school fund that occur as a
  result of the Early High School Graduation Scholarship program
  created in Subchapter K, Chapter 56, and that are not required for
  the funding of state credits for tuition and mandatory fees under
  Section 56.204 or school district credits under Section 56.2075
  shall be used first to provide tuition exemptions under Section
  54.212. Any of those savings remaining after providing tuition
  exemptions under Section 54.212 shall be used to provide tuition
  exemptions under Section 54.214.] The Texas Education Agency shall
  [also] accept and make available to provide tuition exemptions
  under Section 54.214 gifts, grants, and donations made to the
  agency for that purpose. The commissioner of education shall
  transfer those funds to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating
  Board to distribute to institutions of higher education that
  provide exemptions under that section.  [Payment of funds under
  this subsection shall be made in the manner provided by Section
  56.207 for state credits under Subchapter K, Chapter 56.]
         SECTION 5.03.  Section 56.210, Education Code, is repealed.
  ARTICLE 6.  FISCAL MATTERS CONCERNING TUITION EXEMPTIONS
         SECTION 6.01.  Section 54.214(c), Education Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         (c)  To be eligible for an exemption under this section, a
  person must:
               (1)  be a resident of this state;
               (2)  be a school employee serving in any capacity;
               (3)  for the initial term or semester for which the
  person receives an exemption under this section, have worked as an
  educational aide for at least one school year during the five years
  preceding that term or semester;
               (4)  establish financial need as determined by
  coordinating board rule;
               (5)  be enrolled at the institution of higher education
  granting the exemption in courses required for teacher
  certification in one or more subject areas determined by the Texas
  Education Agency to be experiencing a critical shortage of teachers
  at the public schools in this state [at the institution of higher
  education granting the exemption];
               (6)  maintain an acceptable grade point average as
  determined by coordinating board rule; and
               (7)  comply with any other requirements adopted by the
  coordinating board under this section.
         SECTION 6.02.  The change in law made by this article applies
  beginning with tuition and fees charged for the 2011 fall semester.
  Tuition and fees charged for a term or semester before the 2011 fall
  semester are covered by the law in effect during the term or
  semester for which the tuition and fees are charged, and the former
  law is continued in effect for that purpose.
  ARTICLE 7.  FISCAL MATTERS CONCERNING DUAL HIGH SCHOOL AND JUNIOR
  COLLEGE CREDIT
         SECTION 7.01.  Section 130.008(c), Education Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         (c)  The contact hours attributable to the enrollment of a
  high school student in a course offered for joint high school and
  junior college credit under this section, excluding a course for
  which the student attending high school may receive course credit
  toward the physical education curriculum requirement under Section
  28.002(a)(2)(C), shall be included in the contact hours used to
  determine the junior college's proportionate share of the state
  money appropriated and distributed to public junior colleges under
  Sections 130.003 and 130.0031, even if the junior college waives
  all or part of the tuition or fees for the student under Subsection
  (b).
         SECTION 7.02.  This article applies beginning with funding
  for the 2011 fall semester.
  ARTICLE 8.  EFFECTIVE DATE
         SECTION 8.01.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2011.