By: Schwertner  S.B. No. 955
         (In the Senate - Filed March 4, 2015; March 9, 2015, read
  first time and referred to Committee on Education; April 27, 2015,
  reported adversely, with favorable Committee Substitute by the
  following vote:  Yeas 10, Nays 0; April 27, 2015, sent to printer.)
Click here to see the committee vote
 
  COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 955 By:  Bettencourt
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
 
  relating to permissible locations of open-enrollment charter
  schools created by certain institutions of higher education.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 12.152, Education Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         Sec. 12.152.  AUTHORIZATION. (a)  In accordance with this
  subchapter and Subchapter D, the commissioner may grant a charter
  on the application of:
               (1)  a public senior college or university for an
  open-enrollment charter school to operate on the campus of the
  public senior college or university or, subject to Subsection (b),
  at another location in any county in this state [in the same county
  in which the campus of the public senior college or university is
  located]; or
               (2)  a public junior college for an open-enrollment
  charter school to operate on the campus of the public junior college
  or in the same county in which the campus of the public junior
  college is located.
         (b)  In evaluating an application submitted under Subsection
  (a)(1) for a charter to operate an open-enrollment charter school
  in a county other than the county in which the campus of the
  applicant is located, the commissioner shall consider:
               (1)  the locations of existing open-enrollment charter
  schools, as appropriate, to avoid duplication of services in the
  area in which the applicant proposes to operate the school; and
               (2)  the need of the community in the area in which the
  applicant proposes to operate the school to have an additional
  open-enrollment charter school.
         SECTION 2.  Section 12.152, Education Code, as amended by
  this Act:
               (1)  applies to an application for a new charter
  pending on or submitted on or after the effective date of this Act;
  and
               (2)  authorizes a public senior college or university
  that holds a charter granted before the effective date of this Act
  to operate a charter school at a location in any county of this
  state, provided that if the college or university seeks to operate
  an additional campus and the commissioner's approval of the
  expansion is required under Chapter 12, Education Code, the college
  or university must obtain the commissioner's approval.
         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.
 
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