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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the online publication of information regarding campus |
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expenditures made by junior college districts. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 61.065, Education Code, is amended by |
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amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsections (c) and (d) to read |
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as follows: |
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(a) The comptroller of public accounts and the board jointly |
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shall prescribe and periodically update a uniform system of |
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financial accounting and reporting for institutions of higher |
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education, including definitions of the elements of cost on the |
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basis of which appropriations shall be made and financial records |
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shall be maintained. [The board may require institutions to report
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additional financial information as the board considers
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necessary.] In order that the uniform system of financial |
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accounting and reporting shall provide for maximum consistency with |
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the national reporting system for higher education, the uniform |
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system shall incorporate insofar as possible the provisions of the |
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financial accounting and reporting manual published by the National |
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Association of College and University Business Officers. The |
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accounts of the institutions shall be maintained and audited in |
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accordance with the approved reporting system. |
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(c) The board shall adopt rules requiring each junior |
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college district to publish on the district's website detailed |
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financial information regarding the expenditures made during each |
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state fiscal year with respect to each campus maintained by the |
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district and regarding the source of those expended funds. The |
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rules must require the information to be published in an accessible |
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format not later than the 60th day after the end of the applicable |
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state fiscal year. |
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(d) The board may require institutions of higher education |
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to report additional financial information as the board considers |
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necessary. |
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SECTION 2. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board |
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shall adopt the rules required by Section 61.065(c), Education |
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Code, as added by this Act, as soon as practicable after this Act |
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takes effect. For that purpose, the coordinating board may adopt |
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the initial rules in the manner provided by law for emergency rules. |
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SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |