BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 2975

By: Raney

Higher Education

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Interested parties suggest that, as public junior colleges in Texas expand, certain information is needed to help the state identify proper funding levels and to provide transparency and accountability to taxpayers. H.B. 2975 seeks to accomplish these objectives by requiring each junior college district to report certain financial and instructional information for each instructional site.

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. 2975 amends the Education Code to require each junior college district, not later than December 1 of each fiscal year, to submit a report to the Legislative Budget Board that includes the following information for each instructional site of the junior college district: the number of contact hours, including those generated from distance learning, for the preceding academic year; student attainment of completion milestones for the preceding academic year as measured by a performance funding formula established by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in the context of the Texas Success Initiative; the total amount of state appropriations, tax revenue, and tuition and fee revenue received by the junior college district in the preceding fiscal year generated by student enrollment at the instructional site with an indication of in-district and out-of-district tuition and fee revenue amounts and, if applicable, tuition and fee revenue amounts collected for dual credit courses; an itemized statement of the total amount of money expended on the instructional site in the preceding fiscal year by the junior college district; and the number of full-time and adjunct faculty at the instructional site for the preceding academic year as determined by the location of the faculty member's primary office.

H.B. 2975 defines "instructional site" as a facility located within the service area of a junior college district, other than the main campus of the district, at which the district enrolls 2,000 students or more in an academic year.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2017.