BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 1198

By: Rodriguez, Justin

Higher Education

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Interested parties report that recent discussions surrounding public junior colleges involve helping students enroll in required courses for their designated majors and preventing them from enrolling in unnecessary courses. H.B. 1198 seeks to advance this goal and streamline the transfer process from public junior colleges to four-year institutions by ensuring that students take classes that will count toward their desired major while they are still enrolled at a public junior college.

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

H.B. 1198 amends the Education Code to require a student enrolled in an associate or bachelor's degree program at a public junior college to file a degree plan with the college not later than the end of the second regular semester or term immediately following the semester or term in which the student earned a cumulative total of 15 or more semester credit hours of course credit for courses successfully completed by the student or, if the student begins the student's first semester or term at the college with 15 or more semester credit hours of course credit for such courses, the end of the student's second regular semester or term at the college. This requirement applies beginning with students who initially enroll in a public junior college for the 2018 fall semester.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2017.