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BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

 

C.S.S.B. 1813

By: Buckingham

Higher Education

Committee Report (Substituted)

 

 

 

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

 

Interested parties note the role high school counselors and private and independent institutions of higher education play with regard to the state common admission application system and suggest that they deserve representation on the advisory committee that assists the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in relation to that system. C.S.S.B. 1813 seeks to provide that representation.

 

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

 

C.S.S.B. 1813 amends the Education Code to include representatives of private or independent institutions of higher education among the members of the advisory committee with whose assistance the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board adopts specified common admission application forms and to include high school counselors as a party with whose assistance the coordinating board adopts the forms.

 

EFFECTIVE DATE

 

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

 

COMPARISON OF SENATE ENGROSSED AND SUBSTITUTE

 

While C.S.S.B. 1813 may differ from the engrossed in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following comparison is organized and formatted in a manner that indicates the substantial differences between the engrossed and committee substitute versions of the bill.

 

SENATE ENGROSSED

HOUSE COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE

SECTION 1. Section 51.761, Education Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 51.761. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter, "board," "general academic teaching institution," "governing board," "institution of higher education," "medical and dental unit," "public state college," "public technical institute," "private or independent institution of higher education," and "university system" have the meanings assigned by Section 61.003.

SECTION 1. Section 51.761, Education Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 51.761. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter, "board," "general academic teaching institution," "governing board," "institution of higher education," "public state college," "public technical institute," "private or independent institution of higher education," and "university system" have the meanings assigned by Section 61.003.

 

SECTION 2. Sections 51.762(a), (f), and (h), Education Code, are amended to read as follows:

(a) The board, with the assistance of high school counselors and an advisory committee composed of representatives of general academic teaching institutions, junior college districts, public state colleges, [and] public technical institutes, and private or independent institutions of higher education [and with the consultation of all institutions of higher education that admit freshman-level students]:

(1) shall adopt by rule:

(A) a common admission application form for use by a person seeking admission [as a freshman student] to a general academic teaching institution;

(B) an electronic common admission application form for use by a person seeking admission [as a freshman student] to an institution of higher education [that admits freshman-level students], other than a general academic teaching institution or a medical and dental unit; and

(C) if the board determines that adoption of the form would be cost-effective for nursing schools, an electronic common admission application form for use by a person seeking admission as a student to an undergraduate nursing education program at an institution of higher education; and

(2) may adopt by rule a printed format common admission application form for use by a person seeking admission as a freshman student to an institution of higher education that admits freshman-level students, other than a general academic teaching institution.

(f) The board shall ensure that copies of the [freshman] common admission application forms appropriate for use by a person seeking admission to an institution of higher education as a freshman student and information for the use of the forms are available in electronic format [for distribution] to the appropriate personnel at each public high school in this state.

(h) An applicant may file, and each institution of higher education shall accept, an application for admission [as an entering freshman or undergraduate transfer student] that uses the appropriate form adopted under this section. The form used to apply to a general academic teaching institution may be filed in either electronic or printed format. An institution of higher education is not prohibited from requiring an applicant to submit additional information within a reasonable time after the institution has received an application using a form adopted under this section.

SECTION 2. Section 51.762(a), Education Code, is amended to read as follows:

 

(a) The board, with the assistance of high school counselors and an advisory committee composed of representatives of general academic teaching institutions, junior college districts, public state colleges, [and] public technical institutes, and private or independent institutions of higher education, and with the consultation of all institutions of higher education that admit freshman-level students:

(1) shall adopt by rule:

(A) a common admission application form for use by a person seeking admission as a freshman student to a general academic teaching institution;

(B) an electronic common admission application form for use by a person seeking admission as a freshman student to an institution of higher education that admits freshman-level students, other than a general academic teaching institution; and

 

(C) if the board determines that adoption of the form would be cost-effective for nursing schools, an electronic common admission application form for use by a person seeking admission as a student to an undergraduate nursing education program at an institution of higher education; and

(2) may adopt by rule a printed format common admission application form for use by a person seeking admission as a freshman student to an institution of higher education that admits freshman-level students, other than a general academic teaching institution.

 

SECTION 3. Section 51.763(a), Education Code, is amended to read as follows:

(a) The governing board of a university system shall adopt a common admission application form consistent with this subchapter to be used by any person seeking [freshman or undergraduate transfer] admission to one or more of the general academic teaching institutions within the university system.

No equivalent provision.

 

SECTION 4. Section 51.762(b), Education Code, is repealed.

No equivalent provision.

 

SECTION 5. The changes in law made by this Act apply beginning with applications for admission to institutions of higher education for the 2018-2019 academic year.

No equivalent provision.

 

SECTION 6. 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, 2017.

SECTION 3. Same as engrossed version.