BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 1051

By: Wray

Higher Education

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

According to interested parties, recent legislation authorized and funded the Texas State Technical College (TSTC) North Texas extension center in Ellis County at the request of the local community. TSTC North Texas is located in a fast-growth area with significant industrial expansion and adjacent to Red Oak High School, where it offers dual-credit programs. The local community, the parties note, has made a significant investment in TSTC North Texas, contributing the land and other resources for the facility, and wants the location to hold a full campus designation. The parties also suggest that a campus designation will afford TSTC more flexibility with regard to internal budgetary allocations, such as permitting the use of state appropriations for utilities and physical expenses, as opposed to the current reliance on local funds.

C.S.H.B. 1051 seeks to provide for the campus designation to afford TSTC more flexibility in allocating existing funding.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 1051 amends the Education Code to replace as a component of the Texas State Technical College System the extension center located in Ellis County with a campus located in the city of Red Oak in Ellis County.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2015.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.H.B. 1051 may differ from the original in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following comparison is organized and formatted in a manner that indicates the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.

INTRODUCED	HOUSE COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE
SECTION 1.  Section 135.02(a), Education Code, is amended.	SECTION 1. Same as introduced version.
SECTION 2.  Section 135.04(b), Education Code, is amended to read as follows: (b)  Before any program may be offered by a campus or extension center within the tax district of a public junior college that is operating a vocational and technical program, it must be established that the public junior college is not capable of offering or is unable to offer the program.  After it is established that a need for the program exists and that the program is not locally available, the campus or extension center may offer the program, provided approval is secured from the coordinating board. Approval of technical-vocational programs under this section does not apply to Brown, McLennan, Cameron, Ellis, and Potter counties.	No equivalent provision.
SECTION 3.  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, 2015.	SECTION 2. Same as introduced version.