| TO: | Honorable Dan Branch, Chair, House Committee on Higher Education |
| FROM: | John S O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | SB200 by Zaffirini (Relating to reports, notices, and records required of institutions of higher education.), As Engrossed |
Section 1 of the bill requires an evaluation by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) of reports required of institutions of higher education. The THECB would be required to consult with the institutions, members of each standing committee of the legislature with primary jurisdiction over higher education, the comptroller, the Legislative Budget Board, the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, the Texas Education Agency, and other interested state agencies and stakeholders regarding the evaluation. The bill requires the Board to consult with higher education to evaluate the necessity of all reporting requirements and create a list of those reports considered necessary. The report shall be submitted by the Board to each standing committee of the legislature with primary jurisdiction over higher education with recommendations for statutory amendment regarding higher education reporting requirements, including any recommendations for eliminating duplicative requirements and streamlining reporting, no later than May 1, 2012. Provisions of this section of the bill would be implemented within existing resources.
Under Section 2 of the bill, as well as other Sections of the bill, certain reporting requirements applicable to institutions of higher education and university systems would expire or be repealed. The bill would also require the offices of the governor and Legislative Budget Board when reviewing legislative appropriation requests instructions, to look at cost savings and other related efficiencies.
Based on responses from institutions of higher education, there could be some savings associated with the elimination of the various reporting requirements as provided for in the bill but these savings were not identified as significant.
| Source Agencies: | 710 Texas A&M University System Administrative and General Offices, 720 The University of Texas System Administration, 758 Texas State University System, 768 Texas Tech University System Administration, 769 University of North Texas System Administration
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| LBB Staff: | JOB, KK, RT, GO
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