BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 1004

By: Bettencourt

Public Education

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Interested parties suggest that certain independent school districts, such as the Houston Independent School District (HISD) and other school districts in Harris County and surrounding counties, should be permitted to contract with any of the public junior college districts in the region to offer dual credit programs to provide students with expanded program choices and more opportunities to earn college credit and career training. Presently, the parties continue, HISD can only work with another public junior college system if the chancellor at Houston Community College (HCC) signs off on a state waiver of service, commonly considered the "right of first refusal." The parties consider this a limitation, as HCC has the authority to decline the waiver. S.B. 1004 seeks to address this issue as it relates to courses and programs offered jointly by certain public junior colleges and independent school districts.

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

S.B. 1004 amends the Education Code to authorize a public junior college with a service area located wholly or partly in a county with a population of more than three million or in a county adjacent to a county with a population of more than three million to enter into an articulation agreement with any school district located wholly or partly in a county with a population of more than three million for the provision on the public junior college campus of a dropout recovery program for certain students.

S.B. 1004 requires a public junior college with a service area located wholly or partly in a county with a population of more than three million or in a county adjacent to a county with a population of more than three million to enter into an agreement with each school district located wholly or partly in a county with a population of more than three million to offer one or more courses for joint high school and junior college credit. The bill authorizes a student enrolled in such a school district to enroll in a course at any junior college that has entered into an agreement with the district to offer the course. The bill exempts a student who seeks to enroll in such a course from the statutory prohibition against a student enrolling in more than three courses for joint credit at a junior college if the junior college does not have a service area that includes the student's high school. These provisions apply beginning with the 2016 spring semester.

S.B. 1004 establishes that statutory provisions conditioning a public junior college's authority to offer a course within the service area of another operating public junior college on certain specified conditions being met do not apply to a course offered by a public junior college with a service area located wholly or partly in a county with a population of more than three million or in a county adjacent to a county with a population of more than three million for high school students enrolled in a school district located wholly or partly in a county with a population of more than three million.

S.B. 1004 authorizes the governing board of a junior college district located wholly or partly in a county with a population of more than three million or in a county adjacent to a county with a population of more than three million to contract to provide remedial programs for secondary school students with the governing board of any independent school district located wholly or partly in a county with a population of more than three million.

EFFECTIVE DATE

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