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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to authorizing a public junior college to award an |
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associate degree to a student enrolled in a four-year public |
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institution of higher education who previously attended the junior |
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college. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Subchapter S, Chapter 61, Education Code, is |
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amended by adding Section 61.833 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 61.833. CREDIT TRANSFER FOR ASSOCIATE DEGREE. |
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(a) This section applies to a student enrolled in a general |
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academic teaching institution who: |
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(1) transferred to the institution from or previously |
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attended a public junior college; |
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(2) earned at least 30 credit hours for course work |
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successfully completed at the public junior college; and |
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(3) has earned a cumulative total of at least 90 credit |
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hours for course work successfully completed. |
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(b) As soon as practicable after a student who is enrolled |
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in a general academic teaching institution has met the criteria |
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established by Subsection (a)(3), the institution by e-mail or |
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other reasonable method shall request authorization from the |
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student for the institution to release the student's transcript to |
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the public junior college that the student previously attended for |
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the purpose of determining whether the student has earned the |
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credits required for an associate degree awarded by the junior |
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college. On receipt of a student's authorization under this |
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subsection, the institution shall release the student's transcript |
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to the public junior college. |
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(c) After receiving a student transcript from a general |
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academic teaching institution under Subsection (b), a public junior |
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college shall review the transcript and, if the public junior |
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college determines the student has earned the credits required to |
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receive an associate degree awarded by the junior college, may |
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award the student the degree. |
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SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies to a |
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student who not earlier than the 2011 fall semester transfers to or |
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otherwise initially enrolls in a general academic teaching |
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institution after attending a public junior college. |
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SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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Act takes effect September 1, 2011. |