AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

 

Ranger College was established in 1925 and Brown County has been part of Ranger College’s five county service area since long before the service area was codified in Section 130.196 (Ranger Junior College District Service Area), Education Code, in 1995. The Ranger College student enrollment has been steadily increasing in numbers from Brown County residents. Brown County residents can receive enhanced services from the community college if they elect to become part of the core district such as lower tuition for students from Brown County, a broader range of programs, and full participation by Brown County residents in the governance of Ranger College. The citizens of Brown County have wanted to expand Ranger College into their growing county, and Ranger College welcomes the growth because the Ranger community is dwindling. This is an opportunity for Brown County to serve its citizens with a community college and to help preserve one of the oldest community colleges in Texas.      

 

While counties, cities and school districts in a college’s service area are generally free to petition for annexation to the college district, in 1999, Section 130.063(d), Texas Education Code, was added to prohibit annexation by a junior college of a territory that includes a Texas State Technical College (TSTC) “campus” within that county.  TSTC established facilities in the City of Brownwood in Brown County in 1991, first as an extension center and then as a part of the West Texas Campus. 

 

This legislation will allow the citizens of Brown County to petition for and participate in an election for annexation by Ranger College.

 

H.B. 3332 amends current law relating to junior college district territory annexation and program approval in certain counties.

 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

 

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

 

SECTION 1.  Amends Section 130.063, Education Code, by amending Subsection (d) and adding Subsection (e), as follows:

 

(d) Prohibits a junior college district, except as provided by Subsection (e), from annexing territory under this section if a campus of the Texas State Technical College System is located in a certain area.

 

(e) Provides that this section does not prevent a junior college district from annexing territory located in Brown County.

 

SECTION 2.  Amends Section 135.04(b), Education Code, to provide that approval of technical-vocational programs under this section does not apply to Brown, McLennan, Cameron, and Potter counties.

 

SECTION 3.  Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2013.