BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 1583

By: Clardy

Higher Education

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

According to interested parties, many college students in Texas attend school while they work to help pay for school, particularly at two-year institutions that offer certain associate degrees and specialty certificate programs. Many of these students, the parties note, lack predictable class schedules, complicating their work schedules and creating unpleasant decisions between taking a class and working a shift. C.S.H.B. 1583 seeks to remedy this problem through the provision of block scheduling curricula for certain associate degree and certificate programs offered at public junior colleges.

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 rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in SECTION 1 of this bill.

ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 1583 amends the Education Code to require each public junior college, in order to facilitate timely degree completion by public junior college students, to establish for each career and technology, allied health, or nursing associate degree or certificate program offered by the college a block schedule curriculum under which courses required for a student's enrollment in the program as a full-time student are offered each semester in scheduled blocks designed to provide scheduling predictability from semester to semester to students enrolled in the program and under which students may enroll in an entire block schedule curriculum offered under the program in a semester, rather than enrolling in individual courses leading toward the degree or certificate. The bill requires each public junior college to publish in advance of each semester the available block schedule curricula for each career and technology, allied health, or nursing associate degree or certificate program offered by the college for that semester. The bill authorizes the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to adopt rules as necessary for the administration of the bill's provisions, which apply beginning with the 2016 fall semester.

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. 1583 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. Subchapter A, Chapter 130, Education Code, is amended by adding Section 130.0095 to read as follows: Sec. 130.0095. BLOCK SCHEDULING FOR ASSOCIATE DEGREE OR CERTIFICATE PROGRAM. (a) To facilitate timely degree completion by students at public junior colleges, each public junior college shall establish, for each associate degree or certificate program offered by the college, a block schedule curriculum under which: (1) courses required for a student's enrollment in the program as a full-time student are offered each semester in scheduled blocks, such as a morning, full-day, afternoon, evening, or weekend block schedule, designed to provide scheduling predictability from semester to semester to students enrolled in the program; and (2) students may enroll in an entire block schedule curriculum offered under the program in a semester, rather than enrolling in individual courses leading toward the degree or certificate. (b) Each public junior college shall publish in advance of each semester the available block schedule curricula for each associate degree or certificate program offered by the college for that semester. (c) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board may adopt rules as necessary for the administration of this section.	SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 130, Education Code, is amended by adding Section 130.0095 to read as follows: Sec. 130.0095. BLOCK SCHEDULING FOR CERTAIN ASSOCIATE DEGREE OR CERTIFICATE PROGRAM. (a) To facilitate timely degree completion by students at public junior colleges, each public junior college shall establish, for each career and technology, allied health, or nursing associate degree or certificate program offered by the college, a block schedule curriculum under which: (1) courses required for a student's enrollment in the program as a full-time student are offered each semester in scheduled blocks, such as a morning, full-day, afternoon, evening, or weekend block schedule, designed to provide scheduling predictability from semester to semester to students enrolled in the program; and (2) students may enroll in an entire block schedule curriculum offered under the program in a semester, rather than enrolling in individual courses leading toward the degree or certificate. (b) Each public junior college shall publish in advance of each semester the available block schedule curricula for each associate degree or certificate program described by Subsection (a) offered by the college for that semester. (c) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board may adopt rules as necessary for the administration of this section.
SECTION 2. Section 130.0095, Education Code, as added by this Act, applies beginning with the 2016 fall semester.	SECTION 2. Same as introduced version.
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 3. Same as introduced version.