BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	S.B. 719
	By: Zaffirini
	Higher Education
	6/29/2017
	Enrolled

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

In 2015, S.B. 37 required the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) to collect and study data regarding the participation of persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in undergraduate and graduate level course work at public institutions of higher education, including data regarding applications, recruitment, admissions, retention, graduation, and professional licensing at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. S.B. 37, however, did not explicitly require THECB to track or collect data related to persons with IDD participating in workforce continuing education programs at institutions of higher education, which technically would not be considered part of undergraduate or graduate programs.

S.B. 719 would include in THECB's requirement to collect and maintain data relating to the participation of persons with IDD workforce continuing education programs that are eligible for funding through the state. (Original Author's / Sponsor's Statement of Intent)

S.B. 719 amends current law relating to requiring the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to collect, study, and report certain data regarding workforce education programs.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Section 61.0664, Education Code, by amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsections (f), (g), (h), and (i), as follows:

(a) Requires the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) to collect and maintain data, including data regarding retention, graduation, and professional licensing, relating to the participation of persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities enrolled in a workforce education program, including a workforce continuing education program, that is eligible for state-appropriated formula funding. Makes nonsubstantive changes.

(f) Requires THECB, in consultation with public junior college districts, to identify five certain junior college districts representative of each of the public junior college district peer groups as identified by THECB for the purpose of implementing a pilot program to develop and recommend minimum reporting language for financial and instructional cost information, including information relating to instruction of persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Requires the junior college districts participating in the program, in consultation with the Legislative Budget Board (LBB), to study best practices for the reporting of revenue and costs allocated across the districts and the practicability of disaggregating financial and instructional cost information by instructional site within a junior college district. Requires participants in the study to consider certain data.

(g) Requires THECB and the participating junior college districts, not later than June 1, 2018, to report to LBB the findings from the study under Subsection (f), including best practices in reporting, methodologies in reporting, and a template for reporting. Requires each participating junior college district to report to THECB the district's financial and instructional costs using the reporting template not later than September 1, 2019, for the state fiscal year ending August 31, 2019, and September 1, 2020, for the state fiscal year ending August 31, 2020.

(h) Provides that, to the extent of any conflict, Subsections (f) and (g) prevail over any rider regarding a reporting requirement following the appropriations to Public Community/Junior Colleges in Senate Bill No. 1, Acts of the 85th Legislature, Regular Session, 2017 (the General Appropriations Act).

(i) Provides that this subsection and Subsections (f), (g), and (h) expire December 31, 2020.

SECTION 2.� Effective date: September 1, 2017.